Convergence: Showtime
by Thunderboom5
Summary: Trapped on an unknown planet, the diverse heroes of multiple different realities must band together if they have any hope of defeating the god of this strange new world and reclaiming everything that was taken from them. Inspired by DC Comics "Convergence" event and Marvel's 2015 "Secret Wars" series.
1. Roll Call

Far beyond the reaches of space and time, sat a single planet in a vast, near-empty universe.

From orbit, one could see a few continents of varying shapes and sizes, all surrounded and separated by oceans of various sizes, and each home to various flora and fauna of all types, but otherwise barren.

Save for the several large domes littered across them, their silver light bringing some sense of luminescence to the dull planetoid.

For the past year since this world's creation, said domes have acted as cages for the inhabitants of several diverse worlds, universes and timelines, who were completely unaware of what had transpired that led to their current predicament.

But that was about to change, now that the "god" of this new world was ready for the next step he intended for it to take.

From my prison, I can only hope that the victims I unwittingly helped bring here are prepared to face their greatest trial.

(X)

 **The Happy Harbor Dome…**

"Well guys, we did it." Dick stated.

Currently dressed in civilian clothes (as there hadn't been a need for their superhero identities the past year) the original surviving members of the Team stood proudly before their latest accomplishment; erected within the ruins of their original base of operations, Mount Justice, was a twenty-five foot tall statue of the late Wally West, the first Kid Flash, giving a thumbs up with a big smile on his face. As for the Team themselves, they w

"Hard to believe it took a whole year to finish." M'gann said.

"Indeed." Kaldur'ahm agreed.

"You guys think he'd like it?" Conner asked as he placed his hand around M'gann's shoulder, which she covered with her own.

"Are you kidding?" Raquel playfully asked as she turned to the young half-kryptonian. "He'd be running circles around it chanting about how cool it looked."

"Before stating that it wasn't as good as the genuine article." Zatanna giggled as she wrapped her arms around one of Dick's. "You did good, baby." She kissed him on the cheek.

"We all did." Kaldur spoke as he took hold of Raquel's hand, who smiled at him affectionately.

"Haven't felt this whelmed in a long time." Dick breathed out.

The sound of footsteps and shifting dirt behind them caused them to turn around just as the last of their friends approached.

"Hey guys…sorry…we're late." Bart said as he panted for air. Sphere rolled up beside him, chirping "hello" in his unique mechanical language.

"What's the matter, Bart?" Conner chuckled. "Walking up a hill still too much for you?"

"Hey, lay off man." The former speedster heaved. "It wasn't my fault my bike got trashed the other day!" He tried to stand up, but keeled over again. "Ugh, crash." He cursed.

Everyone giggled at that, but then became deathly silent as they saw Artemis finish trekking up the hill with Wolf at her side. She saw them all waiting for her and smiled, which then vanished when she saw the completed statue for the first time. Moving to stand next to her friends, she stared at the monument for a full minute before tears began to form in her eyes. Wolf noticed this and whimpered, his ears falling flat as he nuzzled her side.

Artemis took notice and scratched the loyal companion behind his ears just as her friends moved closer to her and place their hands on her shoulders in comfort.

"Thanks, guys." She sniffed.

"You alright?" Bart looked up at her with concern.

"Yeah." She confirmed, ruffling his hair. "Definitely feeling the mode." She turned back to the monument. "It's incredible."

"Yep." Dick smiled. "It took a while, but I think we did him proud." He then shifted his gaze toward the sky, which was currently blocked off by the shimmering silver energy barrier of the dome. "Plus, we had to keep ourselves sane somehow."

"Do not fret, Richard." Kaldur placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "We have done all we could. The people are fed and cared for and are grateful for what we've done to make their lives easier within this…cage." The bitterness in his voice as he spoke that last word was clearly evident.

"I hate confined spaces." Conner growled.

The Team turned around to look over the small town. Several miles in the distance, they could see where the dome touched down, cutting them off from the rest of the world, but leaving them enough room to grow crops within the woods that surrounded the city, as well as farm fish in the harbor itself.

It had been a long and difficult year, and if they were all being honest, they were not looking forward to another year of imprisonment within this place, but there was a silver lining; with the dome cutting off their superpowers, it gave them each a chance to live a "normal" life amongst the citizens of Happy Harbor, developing friendships with the townsfolk and even growing closer with each other.

Dick and Zatanna rekindled their relationship, as did Conner and M'gann, Kaldur and Raquel gave it a try, and Artemis came to see Bart as something of a little brother. All in all, despite the circumstances, they had all pulled through together…despite the fact that they all wanted nothing more than to get out of this blasted place.

Dick looked up at the dome once more. _'I hope that if anyone is out there, that maybe they can get us out.'_

(X)

 **The Bellwood Dome…**

"Ben, lunch is ready!" Sandra Tennyson called up to her son's bedroom.

"Be right there!" Came a reply, before the ex-watch wearing, shape-changing superhero came walking down the stairs clad in his usual black and white shirt and green pants, walking into the kitchen, he noticed several ham sandwiches stacked on the table while his father was busy pouring some potato chips into a large bowl.

"Everything's almost ready, son." Carl said. "Your cousin and grandpa will be here soon."

"As will your other friends." Sandra continued as she reached into the fridge to retrieve a carton of milk. Just as she began pouring them into glasses, the doorbell rang. "Speaking of which…"

Ben beamed before rushing to the door and flinging it open where he was greeted by two people who, a year ago, were considered his arch nemeses, at school anyway.

"Cash! JT!" Ben cried out.

"Hey, man." Cash greeted with a fist-bump.

"We all set for the party today?" JT asked.

"Yeah, Grandpa and Gwen will be here in a bit. C'mon in." The two former bullies followed Ben into the house and made their way into the kitchen and taking their seats at the table.

"How've you boys been?" Sandra asked as she set a glass of mild in front of each of them.

"Alright, Mrs. Tennyson." JT answered. "Same old, same old."

"Yeah." Cash agreed. "Go to school, come home from school, do homework, lounge around, go to bed, and that's it; the usual."

"Well maybe you kids should start trying some other activities." Carl suggested, looking to his son. "Didn't you say once that you were thinking of taking up soccer, Ben?"

"Um, well yeah, but…" Ben admitted sheepishly.

"Ben," Sandra placed her hand on his back, knowing where he was going with this. "We've been over this. Your Grandpa wouldn't want you spending all your time working your tail off to try and help everyone adjust to life in here."

"Yeah, I know." Ben hung his head low. "Just wished the stupid watch worked."

"You've been doing just fine without it, honey." Ben's mother comforted, kissing him atop the head.

Ben accepted the gesture, but when he saw his friends staring and faking gagging noises, gave them a glare and muttered "Quit it," making them laugh.

Just then the doorbell rang, and after Sandra called out "Come in," in walked Grandpa Max, still wearing his favorite Hawaiian short and carrying some sort of bag, and Gwen, dressed in her blue cat shirt.

"How's it going, everyone?" Max greeted as Ben ran over and tackled him with a hug. "Hey there Ben." He then looked and saw Cash and JT waving at him. "And I see your friends arrived early."

"Yeah, they got here just before you did." Ben said as he pulled away. Looking to Gwen, his eyes narrowed. "Dweeb."

"Doofus." She called him with a scowl on her face, before both cousins smiled and hugged one another. "How're you doing?"

"Alright." Ben answered. "Although playing Sumo Slammer every day after school is getting kind of boring."

Gwen's expression became crestfallen. "Oh."

Ben tilted his head in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Well see, I was wondering if maybe I could give it a try sometime." She sheepishly asked.

Ben was stunned. "You…want to play Sumo Slammer…with us?" He gestured to himself and his two other friends still sitting at the table.

"Yeah, so what?" Gwen crossed her arms in annoyance.

"…Is this a side effect of not using your magic for a while?" Gwen responded with a punch to Ben's arm. "Ow! Okay, sheesh."

"Thanks you two for being such loving relatives." Carl sarcastically pointed out.

"If you two kids are done messing around," Max spoke up. "…I got a surprise for you." He then reached into his bag and pulled out a case of root beer.

"No way!" Ben beamed. "Where'd you guys get that?"

"I called in a favor from the mayor." Max explained as he passed each of the kids one can of the rare, carbonated beverage.

"Thanks." JT said. He then popped the lid on his can, accidentally spraying soda all over himself. Cash chuckled at his friend's plight before offering him a small stack of napkins.

"So you got the rest of the day off, Grandpa?" Ben asked as everyone took a seat at the table.

"Yep. The people I've trained to operate the Plumber tech agreed to cover for me." Max explained from his seat across from his grandson.

"Yeah, took 'em long enough."

"Lay off, Ben." Gwen snapped. "It's been hard for all of Bellwood to adjust the past year, especially those having to acquaint themselves with alien technology that can grow food faster than anything we have here on Earth."

"Okay, okay. Sorry."

"Let's not worry about that right now." Max stated, popping the top of his own can. "C'mon, here's to making it through a whole year." He raised his can as a toast. "And looking forward to getting out of here soon."

The Tennysons and company promptly raised their beverages and clanked them together.

"CHEERS!"

(X)

 **The Jersey City Dome…**

"Hey, Coop, hurry it up!"

The former pilot of the coolest robot this side of the galaxy growled as he carried the rusted tire rims, one under each arm, toward the back of Goat's pickup truck, where he heaved them on board with all his remaining might.

Collapsing to the ground in a sweaty heap, Coop wiped his forehead and scowled up at Jamie. "Hey, just 'cause I've lost a few pounds this past year doesn't mean I'm ready to bench-press buildings, let alone rusted scrap. That was Megas' job!"

He pointed in the direction he just trudged from at the deactivated robot, now prostrated on its knees and slumped over in the middle of the junkyard. It was surrounded by a chain-link fence and several "keep away" signed were planted all around.

"You guys finished back there?" Goat called out from the driver's side window of his truck. "I gotta trade this stuff to the auto-mechanics across town before noon!"

"We're good Goat!" Jamie responded. "Head on out."

Coops eyes widened when he realized he was currently resting against the back of the truck just as the engines revved up. "Wait, Goat, hold…"

His cry fell on deaf ears as Goat's truck sped out of the junkyard, causing Coop to land flat on his back and cough from the dust kicked up from his friend's speedy exit.

Jamie simply shook his head and helped Coop to his feet. "C'mon man, don't be so frustrated." He brushed the dust off the ex-pilot's shoulders. "Imagine how the ladies would've reacted if they saw you working hard." He waggled his eyebrows.

Coop just huffed. "Says the guy who's been dating Kiva the past five months."

"What can I say?" Jamie asked as he blew on his knuckles before wiping them on his shirt. "Hot redheaded space babes from the future just can't resist The Big J!"

"I don't know. I'd say I resisted you for quite a while!"

The unmistakable voice of their friend made them both turn around to face the entrance to the junkyard once again. There was Kiva, dressed not in her usual futuristic uniform, but a simple pink t-shirt, white jeans and brown slacks, walking into the junkyard.

"Oh, h…hey Kiva." Jamie stuttered. He coughed to try and compose himself. "We were just…"

"I know what you were doing." She narrowed her eyes as she approached him, but smirked when she was close enough. "And I don't mind." She then kissed her boyfriend on the cheek, making him blush.

Coop groaned. "Geez, I'd rather watch the Glorft terrorize the city than see that every day!"

"Oh c'mon, Coop. Lay off." Jamie snapped as he wrapped an arm around Kiva's waist.

Coop sighed. "I'm sorry, guys." He lifted his longing gaze toward Megas, "It's just…"

"We understand, Coop." Kiva approached and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"I just…miss it, ya know? All of it." He lamented.

"So do we." Kiva assured, casting a quick glance at Jamie who nodded. "The adventures, the fights. Despite the risks and stakes, they were…fun. For all of us."

Coop raised an eyebrow. "Really? I didn't think you knew what fun was back then." At her scowl, he grinned.

"I knew how to have fun, it's just with the Glorft and the other alien threats," She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "…it was hard letting it go after THAT thing came down." She gazed upward at the glowing silver sky provided by the dome and scowled.

Everyone else did the same, looking up at the top of their cage with a mixture of both wonder and contempt, as they had done every day. But as Coop lowered his gaze to look at Megas once more, an idea came to him.

"You know something guys?" He asked them whilst rolling up his sleeves. "It' been a little while since we last hung out. What do you say we give Megas a little wash up and catch up?"

Jamie and Kiva looked at each other for a moment before turning back to Coop with a smile. "I can dig it." Jamie proclaimed as he removed his jacket and tossed it on a junk pile.

"Me too." Kiva agreed.

"Alright, let's hop to it, then." With that, Coop handed each of his friends a rag, grabbed a bucket of polish and began trekking toward the giant, idle mech, Kiva and Jamie following while joined hand-in-hand. "I'll start with the grill of the cockpit, you two can work on the forearms."

"Oh ho, no way, dude." Jamie said as he stepped in front of Coop. "The last time that happened I slipped off and made myself look like an idiot in front of the mayor that day. I've got the grill this time!"

"Yeah, well maybe if you hadn't used a bucket of oil slick, it wouldn't have happened." Coop retorted.

"A bucket of oil slick you gave me saying it was a new type of soap!" Jamie countered, pointing an accusing finger at his friend. "Right, Kiva?"

"Right." She called out from a distance.

Both friends stopped their argument and turned to see Kiva already perched atop Megas' torso and rinsing off the hood of the car that was the cockpit. Gasping in surprise, Jamie and Coop glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes before booking it to the mech where they proceeded to climb and race each other to the top. Kiva, seeing their competition from above, decided it would be a good time to rinse off Megas' chestplate while the pilot and his best friend were scaling it.

The resulting torrent of water that cascaded down the front of Megas caused Coop and Jamie to lose their grip, sending them plummeting to the ground below. Sitting upright and rubbing their sore backs, they glared up at Kiva before all three burst into laughter. Kiva then tossed down a couple of towels so they could dry off.

As all three got to work cleaning the robot that changed their lives, they failed to see that Goat had stopped halfway down the road and was observing them with a pair of binoculars with a wide smile on his face.

"Far out." He spoke softly before returning to the driver's seat and speeding off, leaving a trail of exhaust in his wake.

(X)

 **The Coast City Dome…**

The late morning sun shone through the window of Hal's apartment, stirring the owner from his sleep. He rubbed his eyes to clear them of the morning gunk, but as he moved to sit up, felt himself restrained by the arm. Looking down, he saw the love of his life, Carol, naked as the day she was born, smiling contently as she tightened her grip on his arm while gazing into his eyes.

"Good morning." She said with a yawn.

"Hey." Hal responded, leaning down to kiss her on the lips. "We slept in pretty late, didn't we?"

"Mmmhmm." Carol agreed, but then her eyes widened as she gasped.

Hal was confused at first, before he had the same realization.

"BRUNCH!" The both shouted. Scrambling out of bed, they took a quick shower, dressed themselves as quickly as possible and then made their way to the rooftop, where they found their three friends seated at a table waiting patiently for them.

"There you are." Kilowog called out, setting down his fork full of eggs for a moment. He was dressed in very large white t-shirt, jeans and a black-leather vest, tailor-made especially for him. "What took ya poozers so long?"

"When we arrived a half hour ago, we knocked but you didn't answer." Razer pointed out. His attire was simple as well: a burgundy dress shirt, black pants and slacks.

"We believed you would approve if we began eating without your presence." Aya went on. Her outfit consisted of a white sundress that went beautifully with her light green skin and long blue hair that matched the color of her eyes. "You are not upset, are you?"

Hal waved off her question. "No no, we're not angry Aya. Don't sweat it."

Kilowog sniffed the air then grinned maliciously. "I don't know. Seems like you two have been "sweating it" pretty good, lately." Hal and Carol's faces flushed in embarrassment, making Kilowog laugh, but he stopped at Razer's glare. "What?"

"Why the dome enabled us to understand you at times like these, I'll never understand." Razer lamented, shaking his head.

By now, Hal and Carol had taken their seats across from Aya and Razer. "Anyway, I heard there was an incident at the museum the other day?" Hal asked.

"Yes." Aya spoke up. "Apparently, a citizen disguised himself as one of the nighttime security guards and attempted to steal the Interceptor."

"That shouldn't have happened." Kilowog huffed. "That baby's supposed to be the greatest ship in the galaxy, not some…tourist attraction."

"What tourists are you talking about?" Carol deadpanned.

"Regardless," Razer cut in. "…I offered him counseling while he was in custody." His expression became solemn. "He originally came to this city on a business venture, but his true home was in Gotham, where his family was."

Hal sighed. "He was desperate to get back to them."

Razer nodded. "Precisely. Strong emotions can sometimes push us into making rash decisions, after all." He then felt Aya's hand gently grasp his own and turned to see her smiling at him, bringing one to his own face as well.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, Hal gazing up at the dome that had caused a bunch of problems for his beloved city, and smiling for some strange reason.

"What're you smilin' about, Hal?" Kilowog asked.

"Just," He began with a chuckle. "...how much I like being "Hal."

What do you mean?" Aya inquired.

Carol wrapped her arm around Hal. "He means that since he spent so much time as a Green Lantern, he forgot what having a normal life was like, and has actually come to enjoy it. As have I."

"What she said." Hal agreed.

"I think we all have." Razer proclaimed, sharing a warm glance with Aya.

"Yeah, yeah." Kilowog murmured despite his grin. "Now, what're we waiting for? The food's getting cold." He then began shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth, albeit a little messily.

"Perhaps the next story I tell to the children should be Kilowog's ventures in frantic eating." Aya thought out loud.

"Oh, shut up."

(X)

 **The Republic Fleet Dome…**

Obi-Wan Kenobi sat silently in his private chambers aboard the _Resolution_ , one of the four Venator-class assault vessels that made up the small, five-ship fleet he commanded for the past year, the other one, the flagship being an Acclamator-class carrier. Crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees, he closed his eyes to reflect on the events of the past year, but without the Force to assist in his meditation, it took a little more concentration than usual.

"Arrived at Coruscant to rescue Chancellor…engaged the enemy…blinding white flash…fleet reappears on unknown planet within inescapable dome…connection to the Force severed…starship engines disabled…utilized forest for crop and food production…all clone troopers assigned to maintenance and agriculture-related tasks…combat training kept to a minimum to save energy and not waste food…"

His meditation was suddenly cut off when the entrance to his chambers gave off a chime signaling that someone wished to enter.

"Come in." The Jedi Master spoke over his shoulder. As the door hissed open, he stood up and turned and smiled upon seeing who it was. "Ah, good morning Anakin." He greeted with a bow.

Anakin mirthfully shook his head. "It's still strange not being able to sense the presence of others."

"Indeed." Obi-Wan agreed as he noticed a certain astromech droid roll into the room. "Hello, R2. What brings you here?"

"I brought him to make it easier to check up on the other ships for today." Anakin pointed out.

R2 beeped in greetings.

"Well, you'll both be happy to hear that I already spoke with acting captain of _Kessel's Bane_ earlier via communicator; now all that remains is to contact the capital ship."

"Very well." Anakin acknowledged. "R2, if you would."

R2 beeped and chimed before activating his communications device and preparing his holographic projector for the response.

"This is General Obi-Wan Kenobi calling the _Prosecutor_. Commander Cody, please respond."

R2's projector activated, but instead of the clone captain appearing, it was another, more renowned trooper with slick black hair combed back and a very distinguishable voice.

"This is RC-1262 reporting in." The small projection answered.

"Scorch?" Anakin exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry, Cody's busy with the Advisor below deck."

"Which is why he placed me in charge of the bridge until he returned, 62." Came a stern voice from outside the projector's field of vision.

Scorch turned to see his superior, Delta-38, enter the conversation. "Oh, hey Boss."

"At ease." Boss said to his teammate as he turned to the Jedi Generals. "Hello, Generals."

"Hello, Delta-38." Obi-Wan greeted the commando squad leader. "How fares the rest of Delta Squad this morning?"

Before Boss could answer, Scorch suddenly cut him off. "Well, last I heard," He tapped his chin in thought. "…Fixer's eating a ration down in engineering, Sev's taking a leak…"

"…And Scorch was heading down to the armory to scrub the rifles clean." Boss finished for him.

Scorch took one look at Boss before slumping his shoulders in defeat. "Yes, sir." And then he proceeded to leave the projection.

Turning back to the Jedi, Boss sighed. "Sorry, sirs. Sometimes the troops aren't exactly sure what to do."

"Don't worry about it." Anakin encouraged him. "The command structure we set up a year ago is not infallible."

"We'll work out the kinks soon enough." Obi-Wan chimed in. "But in the meantime, I trust that preparations are already underway for the next potential year we may be stuck here."

"Yes, sir." Boss nodded. "Schedules and timetables are already being developed, as are stockpiles of food reserves. We should be all set within the next week or two."

"Excellent work, 38. Keep us posted."

"Thank you, sir. Delta-38, out." The image then faded away as R2 turned off the projector.

"Well, everything appears to be in order, then." Obi-Wan noted, but then he noticed his pupil standing by the window gazing out into the forest where the other two vessels were arranged in a v-shaped pattern, with the _Prosecutor_ at the front. Even without his connection to the Force, Obi-Wan could sense what was troubling his friend and moved to stand next to him, R2 joining them as well. "Are you alright, Anakin?"

The young Jedi Knight sighed. "Forgive me, Master. The progress report should make me feel better, but…"

"Do not apologize, my friend." Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest. "We have been thrust into a position none of us were prepared for, and forced to make do with so little. We've had to lean on each other just to survive." He smirked. "The Force may be our greatest ally, but not our _only_ ally. I am happy to see that our combined efforts have paid off, so far anyway."

Anakin shifted his gaze toward the silver sky. "Yes, but I still fear how the rest of the galaxy is faring in our absence. It troubles me to imagine what they could be going through." His expression suddenly became downcast. "Some people more than others." He then felt Obi-Wan place a hand on his shoulder and turned to look at him.

"Have faith, Anakin. There is still much to be done and several questions to be answered, but in time, we'll find our way out of here. We always have."

That small reminder was enough to make Anakin smile again.

"In time, you'll be reunited with your wife."

(X)

 **The Vale Dome…**

"Professor, the team leaders are here, as you requested."

Professor Ozpin turned his chair to face the entrance to his office and saw Glynda Goodwitch standing there, waiting patiently for his response. Taking a quick swig of his coffee beforehand, he then spoke. "Very well, send them up, please."

Glynda nodded and then pulled out her scroll, pressed a few buttons and then spoke into it. "We're ready for you."

About a minute later, the elevator door chimed and opened up, and then three very important people stepped through: the leaders of Team RWBY, JNPR and CFVY, each one clad in their trademark attire, but closer inspection revealed a missing detail to the headmaster.

' _Huh.'_ He thought, puzzled. _'I was expecting four of them.'_

Nonetheless, he took another sip from his coffee cup and straightened his posture. "Thank you all for coming, but before we begin, I must ask, where is Cardin Winchester? I believe I called him here as well."

"Sorry, professor." Jaune spoke up, although everyone could detect the frustration in his voice. "But Cardin's busy being reprimanded by Ironwood right now."

Ozpin hung his head. "And what was it this time?"

"He tried "borrowing" extra rations so he and his team could throw some sort of party to celebrate making it through a whole year in this place, I guess." Jaune shrugged.

The professor shook his head while Glynda groaned. "Some people never learn, it seems." He lamented, but then he straightened his posture. "I'm glad that you three were able to come, at least."

"No problem, Professor." Ruby chimed in. "We haven't missed any of our previous reports yet, so why start now, right?"

"Indeed." Ozpin nodded. "However, the reason I brought you all here today was…slightly different."

Coco tilted her head. "Meaning what, exactly?"

Ozpin set his mug down and leaned back in his chair. "Children, it's been a difficult year for us all. There hasn't been any sign of the Grimm or White Fang, yes, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been difficult for you three and your respective teammates to adjust to life within this rather large, but still confined space." He gestured out the window where the farthest reaches of the dome could be seen. The three team leaders looked on for several moments with varying expressions ranging from longing to dread, but turned back to the headmaster when he continued speaking.

"So, my hope was that this meeting would be less professional and more personal. That is, if you're comfortable with sharing." He then clasped his hands together and waited patiently for their response.

Ruby, Jaune, and Coco all looked at each other skeptically, but in the end, their trust in Ozpin alleviated any concerns they may have had about being open with him and Glynda.

"Sure." They all said in unison.

Ozpin smirked. "Very well, let's start with you, Ruby." He turned towards the youngest huntress. "How are you and your teammates faring?"

Ruby clasped her hands behind her back and stood on her tippy toes. "Good. Yeah, we still miss people outside the dome; Yang and I miss our dad, Weiss misses her big sister, and I haven't seen much of Penny lately, but it's like, without having to worry about the Grimm or White Fang, we're closer now than ever. Blake even stopped wearing her bow, and she and Yang are..." She stopped herself, her cheeks flushing slightly as she pushed the tips of her index fingers together. "They're um...closer too."

"I see." Ozpin nodded, deciding to move on. "And how about you, Mister Arc? I recall seeing you and Miss Nikos together on several occasions throughout the past week alone."

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck in minor embarrassment. "Y…yeah. Things have been great between us. We've gone on a few dates here and there when we've had free time. Either that or more combat training."

"And Nora and Ren?"

"Well, Ren seems okay, but it's Nora I'm a little worried about."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Jaune shrugged. "Well, when she's busy smashing trees for firewood, or hanging out with all of us, she seems okay, but whenever I've seen her all by herself, she looks…sad."

"I've noticed it, too." Ruby added.

"Everyone's emotions have been a little unbalanced since we were trapped in this place, Jaune." Ozpin noted.

"I know, but with Nora, it's...you know…worrying." Jaune finished.

"I understand, Jaune. My concerns go out to your friend." Lastly, the headmaster turned to address the fashionista. "And lastly, you Miss Adel."

Coco placed her hand on her hip. "Everything is peachy. Fox is still the strong, silent type, and Velvet and Yatsuhashi are almost inseparable; they're like the brother and sister neither ever had."

"And I trust your relationship with Miss Scarlatina is healthy as well?"

Coco blushed and then began twirling her dyed lock of hair with her forefinger. "That's putting it mildly."

Ozpin sighed in relief as he stood up. "Thank you all for being so open with me. This past year has been a trying time for us all, but I'm glad to see that you all have pulled through thanks to the relationships you have forged with each other, as friends and more." He stood there and smiled as the three team leaders either fist-bumped or high-fived one another.

"Professor," Glynda said as she held up her scroll. "…sorry to interrupt, but it's almost time for the meeting with Ironwood."

Ozpin retrieved his silver pocket-watch and opened it. "Oh yes, the one regarding students who wish to join his militia."

"Oh yeah," Ruby proclaimed. "Sun and Neptune said they wanted to be a part of that."

Ozpin turned back to his guests with a frown. "I'm sorry my friends, but I'm afraid this get-together must be cut a little short. Thank you for your time."

"No problem, Professor." Ruby exclaimed before making her way towards the elevator.

"See you later." Jaune waved goodbye while following suit.

"Sayonara." Coco bid as she strolled off. Suddenly, almost right after all three had entered the elevator, Ruby's scroll began to hum, and so she retrieved it from her pocket and placed it close to her face.

"Hello?"

" _Arf, arf!_ "

"Zwei!"

Jaune and Coco rolled their eyes as the doors closed.

With the children gone, Ozpin leaned against the back of his chair and let out a long sigh. "Glynda?"

"Yes?" Her voice came from his right, out of his field of vision.

"We were supposed to meet Ironwood after lunch, correct?"

"According to our schedule." Now she sounded like she was behind him.

"He doesn't eat lunch until 12:30 pm like we do. My watch just told me it's only _11:30_."

"Well then," Suddenly, his chair spun around until he was face-to-face with Glynda's fierce green eyes and mischievous grin. "…we should make the most out of this extra time we now have."

Ozpin smirked. "Did you really have to send the children away early like that?"

"We both know that they had spoken their minds and that you were satisfied with their responses. Besides," She then brought one leg up on the chair after the other until she was straddling his lap, her hands resting on his shoulders. "…I believe relieving some stress before dealing with James would be rather nice." She then leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Wouldn't you agree, my Wonderful Wizard?"

Ozpin shivered at the sensation. "You make a good point, my Wicked Witch."

Both staff members then proceeded to gently remove one another's glasses, allowing Glynda to use her aura to place them gently on top of the desk. She then waited patiently as Ozpin reached over with his cane to flip a switch and lock the room.

And then she took his face in her hands and passionately kissed him, his cane dropping to the floor with a light "clang," forgotten for the time being.

(X)

 **The Sherman, Illinois Dome…**

"Where are those kids, dang nabbit?" General Julius Steel exclaimed from the hilltop overlooking the city.

"Julius, please." Solomon said as he walked up next to him. "They still have time."

"Eh, I just don't get what's taking 'em so long, is all." The General admitted, taking a swig from his canteen.

"We had a vehicle; they did not." Solomon deadpanned.

"Hm, good point." Julius shrugged. As he went to take another drink from his canteen, however, he suddenly found it missing. "What the…?"

"Fall like a thunderbolt," General." Lance proclaimed from behind the government officials, causing them to turn to face him. Sure enough, there they were: Lance, chugging from the General's canteen, Ilana, Lance's girlfriend and Princess of the Galalunians, and their robotic friend and bodyguard Octus, currently stuck in his "Newton" guise as he had been for the past year, his girlfriend Kimmy riding on his back and peeking over his shoulder.

General Steel scowled at the alien trio. "So, you've been reading up on that book I leant you, huh kid?"

"Indeed he has." Ilana confessed, giving her bodyguard/boyfriend a dreamy look.

"Well then, now that you guys are here," Steel then walked over to some object covered with a tarp and grabbed hold of it. "…we can get started."

And then he removed the tarp, revealing a state of the art grill underneath. Grinning excitedly, he opened the lid and set the coals inside aflame with a small lighter, then walked over to a large cooler and retrieved some cans of soda, tossing one to each of his friends, even to Solomon, who removed his trenchcoat, hat, and red glasses and set them down on the picnic table that everyone was now seated at.

"So how do you kids want yours' done up?" Steel asked as he put on an apron on that said "Salute the Cook" on the front.

"Medium." Lance spoke up.

"The same." Solomon said.

"Well-done." Ilana chimed in.

"Rare, please." Octus added.

"But Octus, you can't eat meat, right?" Kimmy asked, confused at his request.

"That is true, so I spoke on your behalf." The alien robot smirked at the redhead, compelling her to kiss him on the cheek in thanks.

Seeing Kimmy and Octus interact produced a warm smile on Ilana's face. "So," She turned towards Solomon. "…I hear the looting and crime rates have gone down drastically this past couple months."

"Indeed they have." Solomon responded. "Thanks to your bodyguard here spearheading the militia." He gestured to Lance.

"I'd like to think so, too." Lance boasted, earning a playful jab from his princess. "Oh, c'mon."

"Boasting is hardly becoming of a royal guard, you know." Ilana stated.

"We both know I'm more than that." Lance countered with a smirk, which Ilana returned as she leaned in to kiss him.

"Oh, great. Here we go." Steel exasperated as he turned over the steaks, making everyone laugh.

"Oh relax, General." Lance called out. "You've survived a whole year having to put up with us. You should be used to it by now."

Steel just huffed. "You kids and your raging hormones." He murmured.

Another short round of giggle ensued, but Ilana stopped short to gaze at the domed sky.

Lance quickly took notice of his girlfriend's plight and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Ilana…"

"No, I know; we talked about it. But still, I…" She placed her hand over his.

"We'll get back home soon." Her bodyguard assured her.

"And you can count on us to be there when you take back your world." Solomon promised. "We owe you that much."

"Darn tootin.'" Steel called out as he walked over with the finished steaks, placing one on each of his friends' plates; the ones who could eat them, anyway. Plopping himself down in his seat, he grabbed a fork and knife and started cutting. "Now let's dig in! Time's a wastin'!"

"Agreed." Octus said as cut began cutting Kimmy's steak for her and offered her a piece, which she took without hesitation, humming in delight.

Solomon grinned as he bit into his own chunk of meat, observing the actions of his friends, three of whom he used to be very wary of in the past. _'My, my; how things have changed.'_

(X)

 **The Manhattan Dome…**

"JARVIS, give me an update, starting with the Greenhouse, please."

"As you wish, sir." The sentient AI complied.

Tony Stark crossed his arms over his desk as the computer screen blinked to life with a small "bleep" noise. The first image to appear on-screen was that of an overhead view of Central Park, now closed off inside a massive, transparent glass dome. Next to said picture appeared three more; the three smartest people in the entire city, other than himself of course.

"The Greenhouse is operating at maximum capacity, Mr. Stark. Doctors Henry and Janet Pym have ensured that the city's crop and food supply is well-stocked."

"Heck of a way for Jan and Hank to spend their honeymoon." Tony said.

"I recall them saying sometime prior that they did wish to plant a garden in their spare time." JARVIS noted.

Tony chuckled. "Alright, what about Thor and Jane?"

Another set of pictures replaced the old ones on the screen, this time showing a hospital with images of Thor and Jane Foster alongside it.

"Thor Odinson and Ms. Foster have performed exceptionally well as medical personnel for the many hospitals within the downtown area, although currently they are utilizing their vacation days for some "extracurricular activities," as it were."

"TMI, JARVIS. Next." Tony waved him off.

"Yes, sir." The images shifted once again to reveal Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Black Panther, Hawkeye, and Black Widow standing at attention along with several rows of police officers in front of the capital building. "Captain Roger's security force has successfully dropped crimes rates within the dome by 72 percent overall, half of which was accomplished by Captain Rogers and Major Danvers during the appropriately named "Day-Shift," Mr. Barton, Agent Romanova and King T'Challa's efforts making up the other half during the "Night-Shift."

Those statistics made Tony crack a smile, but it quickly evaporated as he got out of his chair and approached his office window, staring out across the city, ending at where the dome touched down. "And what about Bruce and Vision? Have they made any further progress?"

"None, sir." The AI lamented. "Repeated attempts to analyze the energy composition of the dome have only been met with failure as the numbers always randomize when they seemingly get close to a reading."

Tony brought a hand to his own face and sighed. "It's like whoever made that thing is going out of his/her way to mess with us."

"I believe the proper term is "trolling," sir." JARVIS stated, although the tiny bit of humor in his voice didn't go unnoticed by Tony.

"Indeed. It's also a shame that the Fantastic Four had to go on a scientific expedition off-world and lock down the Baxter Building beforehand. We could really use some of their tech right about now."

Just then he heard the door to his office open and shut, and saw Pepper Potts enter via the reflection in the window. "Don't be so down, Tony." She approached him and slid her arms around his waist. "After all, we've got a party to look forward too, very soon."

Pepper's actions made Tony smile again as he turned to face her and hold her close. "You're right. I still have to get my best suit properly tailored." He leaned in closer to her. "Care to lend me a hand?"

Pepper stood on her tippy toes and gave him a quick kiss. "If I help you again, will you give me a raise?"

Tony wrapped an arm around her waist and led her out of the office. "Depends on your definition of "raise?"

And then the door shut behind them, leaving JARVIS alone in Tony's computer.

"He should really schedule these "business meetings" with Pepper more effectively." He spoke to himself before logging off.

(X)

 **The Queens Dome…**

"Yo, Puny Parker!"

Peter Parker turned to see Flash Thompson and friends walking towards him as he stood alone on the sidewalk. He stood firm as the tall jock slowly approached him, forcing him to tilt his head up to look him in the eye.

"Flash." Peter greeted in a flat tone, gripping the strap of his backpack tighter.

The two stared at each other in complete silence, the other students holding their breath in anticipation, before the jock and the nerd sniggered and then burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, Pete." Flash apologize in-between giggles. "It's been almost a year since I last called you that. I couldn't help myself."

"No, worries. I understand perfectly," Peter paused as he wiped a tear from his eye. "…Eugene." They both exploded into uncontrollable laughter once again, Flash giving Peter a mirthful slap on the back, nearly knocking him over. He then looked over to the rest of his friends, all of which were smiling at him, save for Liz. "Hey guys."

"What's happening, Little Man?" Randy greeted with a fist-bump.

Hobie Brown stood still and just smiled and nodded silently.

"Puny Pete!" Kenny greeted with a big bear hug, lifting Peter off the ground. "We haven't seen ya in almost a month." He then set the smaller teenager back down.

Peter took a deep breath to regain his lost breath. "Not much guys, just helping Captain Stacy keep track of how many supplies we got left."

"What's it looking like?" Glory asked.

Peter's expression became crestfallen. "Not good, guys."

"What do you mean?" Liz asked, her problems with Peter momentarily forgotten.

"I mean that, according to our estimates, we only have enough food and supplies to last for barely another year before we completely run out."

Sally gasped. "Oh my gosh."

"Captain Stacy's supposed to make an announcement later today." Peter observed his friends' reactions: Glory and Kenny embraced each other, Flash put an arm around Sha Shan's shoulder and pulled her close, and Sally let herself be hugged by Hobie, Liz rubbing her back.

The former spectacular superhero sighed. "I'm sorry, guys."

"Don't be."

Another voice spoke from behind Peter, so he turned to see Mary-Jane walking towards their group. "Oh, hey MJ. What're you doing here?"

"Hey there, Tiger. I was on my way back home also and saw you guys, so I thought I'd say hi." Her smile then turned apologetic. "I overheard what you were talking about a minute ago."

Peter's face became sullen once more, but then he felt MJ lift his chin up to look into her eyes.

"Chin up, Tiger. It ain't your fault." She lifted his gaze higher until he could see the domed sky. "It's whoever made that thing."

"Yeah." Flash agreed. "When Spider-Man comes back he'll sure give him or her a good whallop."

"Oh, please!" Sally waved him off. "Spidey disappeared right after the dome came down. For all we know he probably got stuck outside and just moved to some other city and forgotten about us."

"He hasn't." Flash retorted with the utmost conviction. "He'll be back. I know it."

"Yeah. Good thing the bad guys decided to take a break, huh?" Kenny asked nobody in particular.

Peter smiled at his friends' faith in him, or rather his alter ego, before turning back to MJ. "So, have you heard from Gwen or Harry lately?"

"Actually, that was the real reason I walked out here today." She then gestured to a small diner across the street with her thumb.

Peter turned and saw her there, right on the other side of the front window, her long blonde hair flowing down her back like a golden waterfall and just looking as radiant as ever, was Gwen Stacy…sitting across from Peter's former friend Harry Osborn. Both appeared to be in some form of discussion that Gwen didn't seem to be happy about while Harry was adamant. But then she turned to look out the window and saw Peter and his friend's standing on the opposite side of the street. Her expression momentarily brightened at the sight of her first crush, before it was stripped away by Harry standing up and approaching the window, scowling at Peter before abruptly shutting the curtains to give him and Gwen some privacy.

"So much for checking up on her." MJ lamented.

"I don't know what's gotten into him," Randy began. "…but I never knew him to be that clingy."

"No kidding." Sha Shan agreed.

"And what's up with them going out to dinner?" Sally interjected. "Is the owner of that place hogging the good stuff for himself?"

Peter hung his head again, but felt MJ place her hand on his shoulder. "Give it time, Tiger. They'll come around."

' _I've given it a whole year, Mary-Jane!'_ Peter cried out mentally, but ultimately settled for a slump of his shoulders and a quiet "yeah."

He gripped his backpack's straps and straightened his posture. "Well guys, it's been good seeing you again, but I need to get back home and get some rest, and y'know, so Aunt May doesn't worry."

"We hear ya, Pete." Flash waved goodbye. "See you around."

Everyone else gave similar goodbyes before they went their separate ways, but when Peter began his trek back home, he accidentally bumped into someone and fell onto his back. "Ow."

Peter looked up and saw that the burly man he bumped into was wearing a black leather jacket zipped up, a red ball cap, light brown pants and dark brown slacks…and he was trying very hard to not let Peter see his face. He still offered a hand to help Peter up, however, which he took reluctantly.

"Thanks…um…mister?" Peter spoke as he found his footing.

"No problem, kid. Just be careful, alright?" And then he quickly walked past Peter and down the sidewalk.

Peter just stared after him. _'You know, moments like that are when I wish I had my spider-sense back. No more unexpected collisions, that'd be nice.'_ He began walking at a steady pace again. _'But there was just something about him that seemed…familiar. Maybe a thug laying low or something?'_ He shrugged. _'Eh, I'll let Captain Stacy know about it, later. After all, thanks to him, all the criminals that got trapped in here with us have been thinking twice about disrupting the peace while he's in charge.'_ He then suddenly stopped, his eyes widening as he had an epiphany.

' _But what will they do when they find out our supplies are running low? Oh no, the rioters and looters…they'll come back worse than before! I've got to tell Aunt May, quick!'_

And so he sped home as quickly as he could, failing to notice another mysterious man, this one wearing glasses, spying on him from a dark ally.

" _The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the water spout..."_ The man quietly sung to himself, fiddling with his glasses before disappearing into the shadows.

(X)

 **The Tokyo-3 Dome…**

"Shinji, I'm home!"

Shinji sat up on the couch, switched off his SDAT player and then turned to see Misato stroll into the apartment, setting a grocery bag on the table.

"Oh, welcome home, Misato."

"Hey there." She smiled as he approached her.

"So, did you um…get the goods?" He hesitantly asked.

"Sure did." She confirmed. She motioned to the grocery bag and Shinji peeked inside, his eyes bearing witness to all sorts of frozen dessert treats. "But, would you mind getting everything set out; I need to go change."

"Okay, sure." Misato thanked and then marched passed him into her room, while Shinji headed straight for the kitchen and began removing the cold items from the bag and placing them neatly on the table. "So, um, anything special happening at NERV lately?" He called out to her.

"If you mean whether or not the rest of the staff is celebrating surviving a year in this hell-hole like we are, then no." She answered back, her voice slightly muffled by her bedroom door.

Shinji was surprised to hear that. "What, nobody at all?"

"Eeyup; nearly everyone at NERV's been buried in work." Misato elaborated as she returned to the kitchen, now clad in a simple gray tank top and black sweat pants. "Your father certainly hasn't made it easier on them."

Shinji scowled at the mention of the NERV commander, but otherwise kept preparing their dessert-dinner in silence. He then noticed a certain warm-water penguin waddle on by. He topped and pecked at Misato's leg, who then handed him a plate of cold fish. He took it in his beak and then marched into his small freezer room, shutting the door behind himself.

' _Sure glad we got him back from the Horaki family.'_ Shinji mentally noted.

"At least Fuyutsuki gave everyone permission to head home a little early." Misato went on as she retrieved two cans of cold coffee from the fridge, sliding one across the table to Shinji. "That pissed the Commander off something awful until he was convinced that extra rest would improve everyone's performance." She then sat at the table, popped the lid off her can, and took a big swig. "But it sure made Maya happy; gave her extra time to pay Ritsuko a visit before curfew."

"How's Ritsuko doing, by the way?" Shinji hesitantly asked, taking a seat across from her.

Misato sighed. "Alright, I guess. Section 2 has her under constant surveillance while she tends to her patients at the hospital. Hell, the only times I haven't seen her moping is whenever Maya visits her." She allowed herself a small smile. "It…nice to see those two happy despite everything."

Shinji bit his lip in hesitation, but quickly found the courage to ask the biggest question on his mind. "And…has Ritsuko made any progress with…her?"

Misato frowned. "I'm afraid not, Shinji. Rits is only allowed to attend to her for a short time each day, and yet she still hasn't shown any improvement no matter what the doctor's try."

"And Rei?"

The purple-haired woman sighed. "No progress made there either. I swear your father's obsession with finding her is causing more problems than it solves, like "How the hell are we gonna get out of this damn cage?" for one."

Shinji's shoulders slumped in response. _'Asuka, Rei; what happened to you two?'_

"Hey," Misato got his attention, leaning across the table and ruffling his hair, causing him to giggle. "…don't be a grumpy-guss. Besides, our other guest won't want to see you so upset when he arrives."

"Yeah." Shinji smirked, but when he prepared to open the wrapping on a fudgsicle, the doorbell rang, making him gasp and check his watch.

"Fifteen minutes early, just like always." He thought out loud as he stood up, knocking his chair over backwards before rushing to the door, tripping over himself on the way there. When he reached the entrance to the apartment, he began to pant heavily as the door hissed open.

The warm, crimson eyes of the pale-skinned teenager in front of him locked onto his storm-blue ones, and he greeted Shinji with his trademark smile.

"Good evening, Shinji. Thank you for inviting me."

Despite his shortness of breath, Shinji couldn't help but beam with happiness at the sight of his best friend for the past year (aside from Misato, of course) standing in the doorway.

"You're welcome, Kaworu. C'mon in."

(X)

 **The Jump City Dome…**

All was silent in the Titans Tower living room as Robin sat peacefully on the couch, having just finished a late-morning breakfast. He was currently clad in a simple black sweatshirt, blue jeans and white socks as he gazed out across the oversized window and admired the view of the enclosed city he and his friends had grown accustomed to. As he prepared to take another sip of his orange juice, however, he felt the familiar sensation of strong, but gentle arms slip around his neck from behind.

"Hello." Starfire softly spoke, gently resting her chin on top of Robin's head to preserve the ambiance.

Robin smiled and used his free hand to grasp her forearm, tilting his head back to gaze into her beautiful green eyes. "Morning."

"I slept wonderfully last night, but when I awoke you weren't there." She frowned playfully.

"Sorry, I was thirsty." Robin apologized, lifting his half-full glass of orange juice for her to see.

Suddenly, Starfire hopped over the couch and landed in his lap, giving him a good view of her morning attire, a pair a purple pajama bottoms and a light blue t-shirt. "May I have some?"

Without hesitation, Robin offered the glass to her and she downed it in one gulp, letting out a satisfied hum afterwards. Both giggled and rubbed their noses together just as Robin's communicator beeped.

"Cyborg callin' Robin." The tiny yellow device chimed. "Yo man, you up yet?" Robin picked up the device and set it on the table before activating its newest function, a holographic display. Cyborg's face appeared before them moments later. "Mornin' y'all."

"Good morning." Starfire waved.

"Hey Cyborg, how's it going?" Robin greeted.

"Aaaalright. Almost done tweaking the hydro generator then its back to the tower for our annual brunch." He joyfully proclaimed.

"Just don't go hogging all the waffles!" Beast Boy suddenly chimed in, his image appearing next to Cyborg's.

"Only as long as you don't go overboard on the tofu bacon again!" Cyborg chided. "Seriously, I still remember waking up the next morning and smelling that stuff first thing, like it was embedded in my very gears!" He mimicked throwing up to illustrate his point.

Beast Boy prepared to retort before another image winked into existence next to him. Raven was wearing a simple pair of black jeans, like Beast Boy, but while the green-skinned teen was wearing a purple t-shirt, his grey-skinned teammate was wearing a dark blue one.

Holding a library book under her arm, she regarded her boyfriend with her iconic blank stare. "Please tell me you two aren't arguing over breakfast again."

Her gaze caused them both to relent. "Yeah, sorry." Cyborg rubbed his neck.

"Guess old habits die hard, huh?" Beast Boy questioned as he rubbed his neck in embarrassment.

Cyborg chuckled. "Looks like it. See ya'll later." And his image vanished.

Beast Boy let out an exhale. "Thanks for stepping in Raven." But his grin spoke of an alternate intent aside from gratitude. "I'll make sure to get your favorite dark chocolate sauce on my way back. Whatd'ya say?" He winked.

Now, in the past, Raven would react to her teammate's antics in one of two ways; a sarcastic one-liner meant to insult his failed attempts at being funny, or just outright ignoring him. However, being trapped within the dome for an entire year and changed her attitude towards him considerably. How so? Well, in response to Beast Boy's promise to acquire one of her favorite breakfast toppings for her, she blushed, followed by her brushing a lock of her long hair, which she had decided to grow out, behind her ear.

"I'd like that. Thank you, Garfield." And with that, her projection disappeared.

Beast Boy let out an elated sigh, but when he noticed Robin and Starfire's grins, he quickly bid them farewell before vanishing also.

"Should we see what Jinx and Kid Flash are up too?" Starfire asked.

"Sure." Robin answered and pressed another button on his communicator. A few seconds later, and the image of both the avatar of bad luck and the young speedster appeared…

…while they were in the middle of an intense make-out session.

Robin and Starfire stared, hesitant to proceed, until Robin chose to break the ice. "Um…guys?"

"We'll be there." Jinx and Kid Flash spoke in unison, breaking away from each other for a mere instant to address them before locking lips once again and resuming, the projection fading immediately after.

"Um, well then, I guess everyone's all set." Robin noted.

"It would appear so." Starfire agreed. Locking eyes with her love once more, she gave him a dazzling smile before kissing him deeply.

"Wow." Robin breathed out as they parted. "What brought that on?"

"Two things." The Tamaranian began. "One: for leading us through this past year. And two," She leaned in closer, resting her forehead against his. "…because I love you, my precious golubchik."

The boy wonder beamed. "I love you too, Star."

As their lips met once again, they failed to notice a certain slimy house pet watching them from afar whilst snacking on a cereal box, purring contently before deciding to settle down for a late-morning nap.

(X)

If only they all knew what was coming.

I could already hear my enemy making preparations for his next move. The agents of evil at his command were growing restless, eager to get out there test their might against the poor unfortunate souls who were completely ignorant of their presence or what was to come, and neither I nor my fellow prisoners had any power to oppose them.

Suddenly, my enemy made his announcement, which also served as a signal for his minions to begin their attack, heralding the beginning of his "secret war."

"PREPARE YOURSELVES."

I then spoke to the darkness of my cell, hoping it would somehow reach the young ones.

"Forgive me."

(X)

 **Author's Note** :

Disclaimer: This story is a non-profit, fan-based work of fiction. All characters, settings, themes and concepts are owned by their respective companies, studios, etc. Please support them in making animated works of art.

Hello and welcome to my second fanfic.

The universes/characters I chose were from shows that were cancelled, or that I felt were at risk of cancelling, along with a couple others for varying reasons. I just loved all these characters so much and felt that they deserved a far better sendoff then what the studios gave them, so took it upon myself to give them one.

Some questions you may have:

Why RWBY? Well, I came up with the idea for this story before it was announced that RWBY was going to have a third volume. It seemed plausible that it would get cancelled as a result of Monty Oum's tragic passing, but I am glad it isn't. So yeah, the premise of the RWBY-verse's appearance is "What if RWBY was cancelled after volume 2?" Take it as an AU if you wish.

Why Ben 10? It wasn't cancelled. My answer? With all of the continuity errors and changes that appeared in all the sequel series (Ben's parents forgetting he's a superhero, Gwen's magic actually being alien-based powers, etc.) it might as well have been.

Why Evangelion? NGE had one of the saddest, most depressing endings I've ever seen in fiction, and with the manga adaptation and Rebuild being made after, which are theorized to be additional attempts at "doing the series right," I just felt that after all the pain the characters of the original series went through that they should've gotten a better ending as well.

Why Star Wars? Because the original timeline was rebooted, that's why. I also decided to base Anakin and Obi-Wan off their adaptations from the 2D Clone Wars cartoon. And I love Delta Squad too much to not not include them.

If some sections seem sub-par or not as fleshed out as others, I apologize. The reason for this is because I trust all the readers to know who these characters are, where they're coming from, and I just wanted to keep it simple for now. I'll flesh them out more when they each get whole chapters and story arcs dedicated to them.

And yes, there are couples everywhere. Shippers, to your battle-stations!

If you have any more questions, please leave a comment or send me a message, and remember, constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. Thank you.

Next time: The domes come down across the world as we witness the first battle between heroes and villains from across existence. Get ready!


	2. Back in Business Part 1

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

The Team had just made it to the bottom of Monument Hill (Bart came up with the name) when the voice was heard, the very ground shaking like an earthquake.

"Did ya'll hear that?" Raquel asked.

"We did." Artemis answered, her eyes narrowing.

"Any idea where it came from?" M'gann asked as she shifted her gaze in random directions to try and pinpoint its origin.

"Hey guys!" Everyone turned towards Bart. "Check it out." Suddenly, his whole body began to vibrate before he zoomed away, reappearing moments later opposite from where he was standing previously. "I got my speed back."

After everyone's shock had worn off, Kaldur raised his arms and attempted to channel power into the Atlantean tattoos across his arms, and succeeded in making them glow, electrical energy crackling around and flowing through them. "My powers have returned, as well."

M'gann, meanwhile, looked at her own green hands and willed them to change shape in rapid succession from green human hands to bear claws, then bird talons, and finally her White Martian hands before reverting back to normal.

Zatanna looked around for something and saw a grapefruit-sized rock at Conner's feet. Raising her hand, she called on her long-absent magic. "Etativel kcor rof Rennoc!"

The rock slowly lifted off the ground, stopping when it way eye-level with Conner, who took it in his hand and, with little effort, crushed it into powder. "But, how?"

"My guess? Because of that." Dick spoke up. The Team followed his gaze and saw, to their shock, the dome beginning to recede, starting from the highest point and slowly travelling downward, revealing, for the first time in twelve months, a clear blue sky over their heads.

"Not that I'm not happy, but who or what decided that _now_ was when the mode should crash, huh?" Bart thought out loud.

Dick turned to address the team leader. "Just when the dome comes down we all get our powers back? Way too convenient."

Kaldur nodded. "We need to let the citizens know that they should stay calm until we can properly assess the situation."

"I'll spread the word." Bart saluted, turning and preparing to speed away.

"Bart, wait." Kaldur called out. Bart nearly tripped over himself trying to stop himself from running. "There is one thing I need you to do beforehand."

"What is it?" The young speedster questioned.

"Before deciding our next course of action, we need to make sure that we are all properly equipped to handle what may come our way." Kaldur explained.

Bart stared at him for a moment before his face lit up. "You mean…?"

The young Atlantean nodded, smiling along with the rest of his friends. "Get the suits."

(X)

Half an hour later Dick, Kaldur, Conner, Wolf and Sphere were waiting outside the high school for the rest of the team to arrive, having already changed into their old uniforms. As for Kid Flash, once he was finished retrieving their costumes, was immediately sent out to tell the citizens that the Team would be making a public announcement in hopes of satisfying the people long enough to prevent them from doing anything rash until then. All there was to do now was wait for him and the four female members of the Team to show up.

"Feels good to be back in action." Superboy exclaimed, placing a gloved hand over the S-shield on his chest.

"Indeed." Kaldur agreed, twirling his hard-water swords is a flashy display. "It feels, as you surface-dwellers say, "just like old times," does it not?"

Nightwing grinned at that little jab. "Business as usual."

"Oh boys." They heard Zatanna call out. Turning towards where her voice came from, the three men froze.

It wasn't like they hadn't seen them in their costumes before, but for some reason, the boys couldn't help but stare as the women approached. Perhaps seeing their significant others in uniform for the first time in a whole year was too much for them.

Zatanna smiled knowingly as she approached Nightwing, whose gaze was locked on her swaying hips and long, stocking-covered legs. "Ees gnihtemos ouy ekil?" She spoke as she cupped his cheek.

Nightwing finally looked into her eyes, and smirked. "Od ouy evah ot ksa?" Zatanna giggled in response and gave him a quick kiss.

As for Superboy, Miss Martian glided over to him and touched down mere inches away. "You look great." He complimented her.

"Really?" M'gann asked. She then stepped back and shape-changed her outfit into her original one, blue skirt and all. "Or maybe I should give this look a try again, y'know, for old time's sake?"

"C'mon." Superboy chuckled mirthfully, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her close. "You know I like the red and black."

She raised an eyebrow. "Only the red and black?" She asked as her costume reverted to its previous form.

His grip on her tightened. "No. The green is my favorite." And then he pulled her into an intense lip-lock, her legs rising to wrap around his middle.

"AHEM."

Only to separate once Rocket got their attention, their faces now flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry to interrupt," she began as Aqualad wrapped an arm around her waist. "…but we really should focus right now."

"She's right." Aqualad spoke up. "After we've made our public address, we need to contact the League ASAP and let them know we're okay. Then we can address the populace."

"Well whatever we're going to do, better make it quick." Tigress pointed out. "If we wait too long, the people will start getting antsy."

"So what's the plan?" Superboy inquired.

Before anyone could respond, a distant 'whoosh' sound was heard a split second before Kid Flash reappeared.

"Kid Flash, report." Aqualad ordered.

"I spread the word just like you asked." The yellow speedster explained. "But I wouldn't keep them waiting long."

"That's what I just said." Tigress chided.

"But I just made it official." KF shot back, crossing his arms over his chest, only to wince when she jabbed him in the shoulder. He then took a moment to give Tigress' costume an once-over before giving her a disapproving look. "Still Tigress, huh?"

"…Yeah." She murmured.

Just then, Wolf's distinct growl made them all silent. He was crouched low with a scowl on his face, his instincts warning him, and through him, the rest of the Team, of impending danger. The Team looked and saw him peering towards the far side of town where the forest was, and saw smoke rising in the distance.

"That's where the crops are!" Zatanna exclaimed.

"Miss Martian, can you pick up anything?" Aqualad quickly asked the young alien.

Miss Martian put her hands to her temple and closed her eyes in concentration, only to open them moments later with a dejected look on her face. "No. Something's blocking my telepathy."

"Blocking you?" Rocket was shocked, as were they all. "That should be near impossible!"

"Emphasis on "near." M'gann pointed out.

Aqualad was all business now. "Kid Flash, you have reconnaissance. Find out who caused the fire before they get away. Zatanna, go with him. Prepare a spell to put it out. The rest of us will head for…"

"Heads up!"

Superboy's warning directed their attention towards the smoke stacks rising afar off, where they noticed what looked like a large fireball ascending into the sky, before it angled back towards the ground…precisely in their direction.

Everyone braced themselves. "ROCKET!" Aqualad shouted.

"ON IT!" She threw her hands forward and generated a force bubble around the whole group.

When the fireball impacted, several large pieces of concrete went flying in all directions and bounced off of Rocket's shield as a cloud of dust kicked up and obstructed their vision. When the rumbling ceased, Rocket dropped the bubble and the team collected themselves, but still chose to err on the side of caution.

"Miss Martian, if you would." Aqualad ordered.

M'gann nodded, and with a sweep of her hand, telekinetically commanded the dust cloud to disperse, revealing a ruined parking lot, a couple trees and telephone poles were knocked over from the shockwave, and last but not least, a large crater the size of a house about twenty feet in front of them.

"Looks like somebody wanted to get our attention." Tigress murmured.

"You guessed right."

A new, rumbling voice sounded from the crater, and the team turned just in time to see a large red hand grab the edge, before its owner hoisted himself up, giving the Team a good look at the one responsible for changing the layout of the school's front yard. It was a large, red-skinned behemoth of a man, easily nine feet tall, with short black hair reminiscent of Superboy's, black fingernails, and wearing nothing but worn black pants. He stood completely still as he stared at them, waiting for them to make the next move.

Aqualad was the first to step forward. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The red man chuckled. "Just somebody who's looking to stretch his legs a little."

"What are you talking about?" Nightwing spoke up next.

"That's not for me to say." The red man responded, obviously toying with them.

Superboy clenched his fists. "Either you start talking or…"

"Don't make threats if you aren't sure you can keep them, boy."

A more sinister, mechanical voice made its presence known to the heroes, and looking up, they saw a metal man descending via thrusters on the bottoms of his feet. He wore a dark green tunic that reached down to just above his knees, a large black belt holding it in place, and a cape with a hood over his head, held up by two big yellow buttons on either side of his torso. Upon touching down in front of the red man, he crossed his arms over his chest as his brown eyes bored into them.

' _Okay, not gonna lie, but that new guy creeps me out.'_ Rocket admitted mentally.

The rest of the Team took their cue to join in. _'Just don't let it show on your face.'_ Kid Flash reminded her.

' _Got anything on him, M'gann?'_ Zatanna asked her teammate, not taking her eyes off of their foes.

M'gann's eyes squinted. _'No. His mind is like a steel wall that I keep bouncing off of. I think he's the one causing the interference. That plan's a no go.'_

' _One you never should've bothered attempting in the first place, child.'_ The metal man added to the mental conversation, startling them all, especially M'gann.

"How did you do that?" She demanded, switching back to her vocal cords for communication. "My mind is…"

"How is irrelevant." The metal man cut her off. "What _is_ relevant, is the immediate purpose for which I and my associates bothered to reveal ourselves to you children."

"Uh, dude?" Kid Flash joined in. "I only see one other person with you, and I gotta say, the whole Christmas theme you two are going for is in really poor taste. Last time I checked, it was spring."

To their annoyance, the red man actually started laughing again, but was silenced by a single glare from the metal man. Turning to address them, he spoke again. "Introductions are in order. You are already familiar with the Red Hulk." He gestured to the giant standing behind him. "Here are the rest."

With a wave of his glowing hand, three flashes of green light shone on either side of him, and then there were six new figures standing alongside him: The first was a muscular man dressed in a purple outfit that had spotted white fur running down the shoulders with yellow boots, gloves and a gold headband over his mask. A pistol was holstered on his right side, and he drew a sword from its sheath on the left. He took his position to the metal man's left.

"Baron Zemo."

The next was a beautiful, slender Caucasian woman with long blonde hair, green eyes and pink lipstick. Her outfit consisted of a green skin-tight suit that left her shoulders bare and a matching mini-skirt. She also wore tight green gloves that stretched almost up to her shoulders, black tights with green circles running up the sides, and a green tiara. Upon manifesting next to her summoner, she gently trailed her fingertips up his arm, gazing hungrily at him, before placing her hand on her hip and standing at attention.

"Enchantress."

The next one to appear was a man covered head-to-toe in a black suit that featured glowing yellow lines, some resembling lightning bolts, stretching across it.

"Living Laser."

After him appeared another man, this one, tall, nearly bald with shriveled green skin and green eyes, and decked out in a dark blue cybernetic suit with matching cape and hood currently covering his head. But what was most telling was large scythe mounted on his right arm.

"Grim Reaper."

And finally, the last one to appear was the most bizarre-looking; his costume was green colored metal-plate armor with a cone shaped helmet covering most of his face except for his blue eyes and two small wings at its sides. He has broad green shoulder pads, some kind of green belt around his waist and metal bracelets with saw blades attached to each of them.

"Whirlwind."

And finally, the last person to appear was a pale woman with black hair and pink eyes, clad in a black suit with steel plates along her chest, waist and thighs.

"And my personal representative, Lucia von Bardas. You may call us…the Masters of Evil."

"And who are you supposed to be, Tin Man?" Rocket demanded.

"Tin Man" just continued to stare, although somehow they all could tell that he was now scowling behind his mask. "I am Doctor Doom, leader of this cadre. Rue the day you ever heard my name."

"Well, Doctor," Tigress began, pointing an accusatory finger at him. "…would you mind explaining why you're attacking our town and destroying our supplies and property while its protectors are all gathered in one place?"

"Normally when one makes demands of Doom, they don't live long enough to see the next sunrise." He growled at her. "Permit me to salute your courage."

"Enough!" Aqualad shouted, clearly fed up. "This discussion has gone on for far too long!"

"Indeed it has, Atlantean." Doom agreed, lowering his arms and clenching his fists. The group of villains at his sides assumed fighting stances. "And we are short on time as it is. So let's move on, shall we?"

"Move onto what, exactly?" Nightwing asked, although he and the rest of the Team already guessed the answer as they prepared for a fight.

Doom never broke eye contact. "Get them."

Red Hulk was the first to react, leaping high into the air as he roared a challenge to the young heroes. Superboy answered, propelling himself skyward, colliding with the Red Hulk in mid-air and causing the earth to tremble by the impact shockwave. They traded a few blows on the way down, crash-landing several feet away from the rest of the team. Quickly rising to his feet, Superboy tackled the Red Hulk, sending them both crashing into the school and out of sight. Wolf barked and chased after them to help his friend.

Then everyone else sprang into action.

Living Laser darted forward at Kid Flash, who sped away in a yellow-red blur, his opponent giving chase as a bright yellow streak, followed immediately by Sphere who rolled after them. Lucia produced laser rifles from her cybernetic arms and began blasting at Tigress, who drew her bow staff and used it to deflect some of the shots before running deeper into town (reluctantly) to find better cover as the cyborg pursued her. Whirlwind fired his saw blades at Rocket, who deflected them with a bubble shield, and then conjured a small tornado around his legs and rushed forward, Rocket herself drifting away across the parking lot. Enchantress threw emerald fireballs at Miss Martian, who deflected them with her telekinesis as the two levitated higher and higher into the air. Aqualad twirled his twin hard-water swords and clashed with Grim Reaper's scythe, beginning a fierce clash of blade masters, while Nightwing defended himself against Baron Zemo's sword swings with his twin fighting sticks.

That just left Zatanna to face down Doctor Doom alone.

"Well, what are you waiting for, girl?" Doom goaded. "You are a practitioner of the arcane arts like your father, are you not?"

"You don't know anything about me or my father, Doc." The young sorceress sneered.

"On the contrary." Doom countered. "I am well aware of your father's fate, as it were." He chuckled at those last few words, making Zatanna grit her teeth. "Such a noble sacrifice, if it weren't overshadowed by his cowardice. One of the most talented sorcerer's of his time, and yet he couldn't bring himself to free you from enslavement using his own power, instead submitting himself to become host to a self-centered symbiote of a spirit."

Zatanna was raging internally now, her fingernails tearing through the fabric of her gloves as her fists constricted to the point of trembling.

Doom was well aware of this fact, and so kept going. "And you could not save him in return. So I wonder: if your father had already proven himself to be such a weakling, are you even less of a creature than he was by comparison?"

That did it.

"Hsurc mih ot seceip!" At her command, all the loose pieces of debris scattered across the parking lot, along with the few telephone pole and trees that broke in half thanks to the Red Hulk's entrance and even some trash cans, levitated high into the air, suspended by Zatanna who had one hand raised high above her head. When she brought her hand down, the rubble fell with it and piled on top of Doom (who hadn't even flinched in the face of her rage) one piece after another, resulting in a twenty-five foot tall pile of rubbish sitting where Doom used to be.

"That'll teach you, Doctor Dork." She breathed out, panting after such a strenuous display of her power.

Unfortunately, her "victory" was short lived. It started as a faint humming sound, followed by several glowing cracks of light spreading upward along the surface of the rubble, before the whole pile became engulfed in flame and exploded into a fine powder, some of which got in Zatanna's eyes. After wiping her vision clean, she saw Doctor Doom standing exactly as he had been before, still as a statue and without a scratch on him.

"The only thing you've managed to teach me is that my assumptions were correct, child." He boasted, the smugness in his voice palpable to the young sorceress. "I see your power is limited to how quick and creative you are with your words."

The air then began to shift, and the very same dirt that Doom formed from the rubble began to gather together as a small, but rapidly growing orb above his head, the dust particles themselves now sparkling with the same green light as Doom's hands.

"But I have surpassed the need for words to transform my will into reality."

By now the orb had grown to the size of a large semi-truck, which began to bulge and shift as it was lowered into the crater behind where Doom stood. Several green towers of light then ascended from the pit, followed by a frightening growl. Zatanna could only watch in horror as a massive stone dragon with glowing green eyes and flames illuminating it's throat flapped it's wings and took to the sky, hovering over a hundred feet in the air above their heads, awaiting it's master's command.

"And in the land which I hail from, Doom's will is LAW!"

With a loud roar, the dragon folded its wings against its sides and dove straight for Zatanna, eager to consume its prey.

(X)

 **Inside the high school…**

Superboy and Red Hulk crashed through the wall of the gym, tumbling across the wooden floor. The young hybrid quickly decided to just let go of his opponent and soon found himself face down on the floor, his enemy's current location forgotten for the moment; he slowly stood up, rotating his arm and soon felt something pop in his shoulder.

"Gotta play this smart. Been a while since I had a fight like this." The Kryptonian clone murmured to himself, brushing the dust off his shirt. "Heck, it's been a while since I had to fight, period."

"You and me both, kid."

Superboy turned just in time to see the Red Hulk standing behind him with both fists raised above his head. Superboy quickly planted his feet and brought his hands up to catch Red Hulk's attack as it came down, the ground cratering beneath him as he strained his body to not collapse under the pressure. Gritting his teeth, he channeled his energy into his limbs and successfully pushed his enemy away. Red Hulk skidded across the ground, coming to a stop several feet away. The two stared at each other for a moment, before Red Hulk grinned and then charged.

Superboy side-stepped his opponent's punch and retaliated with a right hook across his jaw, followed immediately by a left. But when he attempted to deliver an uppercut, Red Hulk caught it with his right hand before delivering a left hook of his own to Superboy's face and then backhanding him into the bleachers. Superboy groaned in pain just as Red Hulk leaped at him, intending to crush him under his feet. Superboy quickly somersaulted out of the way, his opponent's impact turning the bleachers into mulch, but Red Hulk didn't waste any momentum, charging at his smaller opponent once more. With a loud grunt, Superboy decided it was his turn for some airtime and sprung into the air, but Red Hulk caught him as he came down, never breaking his stride as he pushed his opponent across the floor, digging a large groove into it and sending wood splinters flying in all directions. He then skid to a halt, threw Superboy into the air, and then hit him with a vicious haymaker that sent the young clone sailing across the gym and crashing through one of the basketball hoops, cratering the wall behind it before hitting the ground head first with a loud 'thud'.

Superboy struggled as he tried to regain his footing, forcing him to lean back against the wall for support. It was then that he noticed the feeling of something warm leaking out of his nose and that his mouth now tasted like copper. Wiping his face with his hand, he was rewarded with the sight of blood covering his palm, surprising him. Before he could comprehend the fact that this was his first true injury in a long time, however, the sound of his opponent's laughter drew his attention away from his wounds, and he looked ahead to see the scarlet beast stalking towards him.

"What's the matter, kid? Tired already?" Red Hulk taunted. "Guess the boss was right: the past year has made you all soft."

But before Superboy could react, Wolf suddenly leaped out of nowhere and dug his teeth into Red Hulk's shoulder with enough force to draw blood, making the giant howl in agony. Grabbing the augmented canine, Red Hulk ripped him free from his shoulder, slammed him into the ground and then kicked him through the ceiling. As he patted his injured shoulder, streaks of glowing yellow blood and wisps of steam escaped from the holes of the teeth marks left behind by Wolf's surprise attack.

Superboy scowled, clenching his fists and spitting the blood out of his mouth. "Nobody messes with my dog. It makes me ANGRY!"

He charged forward, Red Hulk meeting him halfway as they impacted against one another and grappled. Throwing his opponent's hands apart, Superboy leaped upward and delivered a head-butt to his face, causing the red behemoth to stagger back as more yellow blood trickled out of his nose. Wasting no time, Superboy ran forward, and when Red Hulk went to punch him, he blocked the massive swing and delivered a hard jab to the underside of his opponent's elbow, repeating the process on the second arm. Red Hulk's arms fell limp to his side, his primary method of attack momentarily disabled. Then Superboy pulled both his fists back and channeled a large portion of his power into them, a technique Superman taught him called "surging."

"RAAAAAGH!"

With a cry of strength, he struck Red Hulk dead center in his chest with a two-fisted punch capable of liquefying human bone, the resulting shockwave shattering all the windows around the gym. Red Hulk went sailing across the room and crashed through the wall leading to the boy's locker room, reducing said wall to powder in the process and damaging the shower pipes, causing water to leak everywhere and form a massive puddle on the floor.

Realising he was now sore all over, Superboy collapsed to one knee, his hands trembling from the strain caused by the large amount of energy he put into his last attack. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but grin in triumph over his victory against the first supervillain he had fought in an entire year.

' _Gotta check on Wolf and the others.'_ He mentally reminded himself, but then his eyes widened. _'Wait, why is it getting so hot in here?'_

His question was answered when he saw the scarlet beast himself stroll back onto the main floor, his eyes ablaze with yellow light as flames danced across his skin. There was also a noticeable bruise on his chest, but he apparently didn't notice or just didn't care.

"You call that "angry?" Red Hulk mocked as he laughed at the Kryptonian clone. "I'll give you this, kid; I haven't had a rumble like this since the last time I fought Banner."

Superboy said nothing, only growling and baring his teeth. His infrared vision showed him that this guy's current body temperature was equal to that of a river of molten lava; the wooden floor caught fire with each step he took, and the puddle of water he was standing in quickly evaporated into steam.

Red Hulk then placed his hand over his chest, finally acknowledging the otherwise minor injury there. "That felt good." Then his smile instantly vanished, the flames he was generating growing stronger as he cocked his head from side to side and rotated his shoulders, his neck and back cracking to relieve the pressure in his joints. "Let's do that again."

"Let's." Superboy agreed, and then rushed forward to clash with his foe once more.

(X)

 **All across town…**

Everything flew by in a blur as Kid Flash raced down the streets, across the rooftops, through the woods, and then back again, his opponent in hot pursuit. He spared a glance to his right as his newest rival came up beside him, matching KF's running speed with his flight. "Getting tired yet, slowpoke?"

"Not even close kid." The glowing man shot back. "I'm the Living Laser. I am energy. I never run out of juice."

"Maybe this'll help." Launching himself sideways, KF tried to land a punch to his opponent's face, only to recoil at the massive shock he received from making contact with the energy being.

"Heh, my turn." Living Laser cackled, firing several blasts of energy at the other speedster, who ducked, dodged and jumped to avoid getting fried.

' _C'mon think fast, KF.'_ He mentally facepalmed. _'Who are you kidding? You always do.'_

Then an idea struck him. Taking one last glance at his enemy to make sure he was still chasing him, he then made a beeline for the longest street in town, his destination lying at the end; a two-foot thick solid brick wall.

"You might not be able to run out of energy," He taunted his foe. "…but you can sure run out of room."

Vibrating his molecules fast enough to decrease his density immensely, he proceeded to run through the brick wall as if it were nothing by air.

Living Laser realized too late that she should've slowed down further back.

"Aw, nuts."

That was the last thing he said before he crashed into the wall, and several more belonging to a few other buildings, before crashing through the concession standoff the Bowl-O-Rama, coming to a stop at the start of one of the bowling lanes.

The few bystanders who were there could only look on in shock before Kid Flash suddenly appeared, a victorious grin on his face as he soaked in their reactions and comments

"Oh my gosh! It's the Kid Flash."

"I thought he was taller."

"Who cares? He's back!"

Kid Flash casually waved them off. "That's right folks. The Team isWHOA!" He barely had enough time to react before Living Laser's energy blast seared the hair off his scalp.

"That the best you got? Huh?" Living Laser panted as he rose to his feet, one arm outstretched while the other supported him on the ball return. "A little speedbump?"

All Kid Flash had time to say was "Crash," before Living Laser fired several more blasts, forcing him to dash from place to place all across the bowling alley to avoid getting hit. Sadly, as he dodged, the beams destroyed several items including a few arcade games, several bowling balls sitting on their shelves, and one poor boy's bottle of root beer. Finally, Kid Flash found some cover to hide behind in the form of the ruined concession stand, flinching as a few more shots penetrated the wood and came close to hitting him.

"C'mon out, kid. Or do you want me to start using the townsfolk to work on my target practice?" The villain called out. Several audible gasps were heard.

Kid Flash cringed. _'Okay Bart, I know it's been a year but you really need to get back in the mode. Right now!'_

A familiar beeping noise gave him his answer.

Smirking, Kid Flash prepared to make his move. "Alright, dude! Here I come!"

Putting on a little extra speed, he leapt over the counter and headed straight for his opponent. However, right when he was only a few feet away from him, he quickly darted off to the side, confusing the energy being…who then had only a few seconds to notice the large grey orb now sailing towards him.

"What the…?"

SMACK

The impact sent Living Laser careening backwards and skidding across the floor right into the back-end of the lane, where he let out a pained groan before falling unconscious. Sphere chirped in victory just as Kid Flash returned and patted the alien orb in gratitude.

"Nice strike, buddy. Now let's get this guy back to the Team and see how the rest of 'em are doing."

Sphere buzzed in agreement, shifting into her super-cycle mode. Kid Flash grabbed the unconscious villain and deposited him in the passenger's seat, where Sphere proceeded to lock him in place with several restraints.

Kid Flash took a moment to admire his work before turning toward the still frightened citizens. "Hunker down, people; it's not over yet! Let's go, Sphere!"

And off they went.

(X)

 **The beach…**

Rocket held her hands above her head to push back against her enemy's attempts to crush her, blinking repeatedly to try and get the sand out of her stinging, watery eyes.

She could feel herself sinking ankle-deep into the sand as the force of Whirlwind's tornado came crashing down on her force bubble like a hurricane. She had managed to draw her enemy to the beach and away from the rest of town, but apparently hindsight is twenty-twenty because when you combine and enemy with the power to control wind with a wide open area covered in sand, you get miniature sandstorms that can cause all sorts of problems, such as getting sand in your eyes and being unable to even see your foe.

She had been unprepared for Whirlwind to use that tactic, and as a result his first attempt at using it had (intentionally or unintentionally, she didn't know) damaged her belt, crushing some of its components and causing it to malfunction. Now her force bubble began to flicker as the tornado-themed villain forced the massive cyclone he created down upon her, and it wouldn't be long before he broke through her defenses.

She needed to think fast.

Flash fast.

"Hey, conehead!"

And as luck would have it…

A yellow-red blur suddenly impacted Whirlwind from behind, sending the villain sprawling forward and landing face-first in the sand. Sighing in relief, Rocket seized this opportunity and began fiddling with her belt in hopes of repairing some of the damage to it before her enemy recovered. She felt a strong rush of wind as her teammate came to a stop beside her.

"How're you doing?" He asked.

"Fine." Rocket answered, not taking her eyes off her belt. "He just got lucky." A few crossed wires later, she smiled as her belt beeped. "There, that should take care of the damage. Now go help the others, I'll finish up here!"

"Right. See ya later." KF saluted before he zoomed away.

Rocket silently wished him good luck as he took off, but forced herself to focus on her foe once again, who had managed to stand up and was currently in the process of massaging his aching scalp. "Had enough, conehead?"

Turning his attention toward her, his eye narrowed. "It's Whirlwind, Bubble Girl, and I'm gonna rip the air outta your lungs." He then raised a gloved hand at her, wind already twirling around it. "Like this."

Rocket suddenly found her throat forced open as Whirlwind made due on his promise. Her lungs slowly began to burn as she felt the air being extracted from them, her pupils as small as pinpricks as panic began to overtake her, and she gripped her own throat in a vain attempt to stop the process.

"I'm surprised I never thought of this earlier." Whirlwind cackled as he stalked towards her, confident in his impending victory. "These upgrades would've saved me a whole lot of trouble in the past."

Rocker said nothing (not that she actually could) and instead used her remaining strength to fiddle with her belt.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to take one of you heroes out." Whirlwind was now only a foot from her. "Heh, look at you; you're pathetic. You can't even talk."

Rocket could only manage a few strained coughs. "…r…oo…ose…"

The psychotic cyclone leaned down, amused at her feeble attempts at communication. "Alright, I'll bite." He ceased draining the air from her lungs and allowed her to take a single, shallow breath. "What're you trying to say?"

She scowled at him and wheezed out her response. "You're too close."

Slamming her fist on her belt buckle, a turquoise beam of energy shot out of it, hitting Whirlwind right in his face and sending him sailing across the beach and embedding him in the small rock face some distance away before gravity dislodged him and sent him falling forward and landing face-down on the beach, out cold.

After finally taking a deep breath, Rocket stood up, slowly breathing in and out to quell the burning sensation in her chest. After reversing the adjustments made to her belt she walked over to Whirlwind and confirmed that he was indeed unconscious.

"Psycho." She spat at him, not that he could hear her. "You give tornado guys a bad name." She then left him behind and began climbing up the rock face to return to her friends. "Artemis is gonna rub it in my face that I got strangled by a Mister Twister knockoff." She sighed. "At least all she got was a cyborg; easy to handle, probably."

(X)

 **Sandbar Internet Café…**

CRASH

Shards of glass left small cuts in both her costume and the skin underneath as Tigress crashed through the front window of the café and collided with one of the numerous computer desks littered around the interior, bruising her shoulder before she hit the ground on her side. Lifting her head, her mask fell off her face, and upon seeing how torn up it was, decided to just leave it where it lay. A purple laser blast overhead startled her as it grazed her scalp, forcing her to take cover behind another desk. When the shooting stopped, she used her sword as a mirror to try and determine her enemy's location, but the moment she caught the cyborg's reflection, a purple laser bolt shattered the blade to pieces.

"Great." She hissed.

And now she just lost her backup melee weapon, leaving the blonde with only her staff. She had already expended her crossbow bolts, explosive pellets, smoke bombs and even her bolas and blow darts, but the cyborg just would not go down; heck, her reflection showed that some of the bolts and darts were still embedded in her body, but it didn't seem to bother her at all.

Gripping her staff tightly, she steeled herself as she prepared to make one final offensive; the explosive charge in the center of the staff was her last option. All she had to do was throw it as just the right moment and it would explode in close proximity to the cyborg, disabling it. Standing tall, she reared it back and prepared to throw it like a javelin…only to come face to face with the business end of one of her opponent's laser rifles.

"Crap." She muttered.

"For the glory of Doom." Lucia proclaimed as she charged up the rifle for a kill-shot.

KRAKOOM

Lucia suddenly began to spasm uncontrollably as gold lightning arched across her body, frying all her cybernetic components as Tigress looked on, stunned by this turn of events. A few seconds later, the cyborg keeled over, the pink light in her eyes going dark as smoke emanated from her mouth, nose and eyes. Tigress stared for a moment longer before looking around the café to try and find the source of what felled her enemy, but after a few moments of thinking, believed she guessed correctly who it was.

' _Thanks, Bart.'_ She though with a smile. She then proceeded to collapse her staff and opt for exiting through the front door to avoid all the broken glass lying around.

(X)

 **In front of the high school…**

Nightwing grunted as he blocked another flurry of strikes from Zemo's sword. He was amazed at the skill his opponent possesses. If he was being honest, Zemo reminded him of Ra's Al Ghul in a way; both had this aura of confidence and experience about them when they fought, and Ra's could actually back it up for having been alive for centuries courtesy of the Lazarus Pit.

' _Could Zemo and Ra's be connected somehow?'_ He mentally wondered, recalling that Zemo used a WWII era pistol before Nightwing managed to destroy it. _'Could Zemo be just as old?'_

Sadly, Zemo took advantage of how his thoughts were distracting him and slashed his sword downward, leaving a deep cut within Nightwing's thigh.

"Not bad, young man." The Baron congratulated as he cleaned his blade off by running it along his forearm. "Your tenacity and fighting prowess reminds me of an old foe of mine." His eyes narrowed. "He'll be next once I'm finished with you."

Nightwing only glared at his enemy before he felt something bump into his back. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that he was now back-to-back with Aqualad who was busy staring down an approaching Grim Reaper. As Zemo and Reaper began to circle their pray like a pair of hungry lions, Nightwing and Aqualad were like statues, their bodies giving absolutely no hint of movement as they stood their ground with their weapons at the ready.

"This isn't going as well as I'd hoped." Aqualad whispered, wincing as he felt a sharp pain in one of the many cuts Reaper inflicted on him.

"Perhaps we should've spent a little more time training." Nightwing murmured as Zemo moved out of his field of vision and Reaper stepped in. "Can you get ahold of Miss Martian?"

"I'll try." Aqualad's eyes narrowed in concentration before he screamed and keeled over in pain.

"Aqualad! What happened?" Nightwing shouted, angry that he couldn't afford to turn around to at least see if his friend was alright.

The young Atlantean shook his head as beads of sweat dripped down his face. "Miss Martian…is…in pain."

"Yeah I got that, but how bad is it?" Nightwing got his answer when Enchantress floated down to the ground next to Zemo while carrying Miss Martian with her magic. With an evil smirk, she tossed the young martian like a ragdoll at her teammates' feet. No longer caring about the fact that they were surrounded, Nightwing knelt down and checked M'gann's pulse. Her skin was almost scalding to the touch, and he could see rapid eye movement beneath her eyelids. "Miss Martian, are you okay?"

All she could manage was pained groans.

As Nightwing pondered what to do next, Kid Flash returned with Sphere and their prisoner in tow, Rocket descending from the sky as well moments later. Tigress then appeared by flipping over Grim Reaper's head and landing a foot from the group. Now with most of the team regrouped, Aqualad was all business once more.

"Rocket, form a protective shield around us and establish a perimeter until we can get in contact with the rest of the team." He commanded.

"Got it." Rocket raised her hands and a turquoise bubble appeared around the assembled group. The villains, however, didn't seem the least bit perturbed, especially Enchantress with her smug expression.

"What's the deal with Double M?" Kid Flash asked.

"We don't know." Nightwing answered dejectedly. "But maybe Zatanna could figure something out." The tone in his voice grew more worried. "Where did anyone last see her?"

Everyone looked at each other hoping for answers, but it was Kid Flash who spoke first. "I don't think we'll have to look far." He finished by pointing in a seemingly random direction.

The Team turned to look where he was pointing, and gasped. Doctor Doom stood there with his arm crossed, and his pet stone dragon was standing behind him carrying and unconscious Zatanna in its jaws, the sight alone making Nightwing's jaw clench.

"What've you done to her?" He demanded to know.

"I merely proved I am her better." Doom answered matter-of-factly. "Before you do anything rash, know that she still lives. Taking your pathetic lives was never my intention."

"Then what is your intention?" Aqualad shouted. "Why come here and attack us like this?"

"Believe me, Atlantean, if I had any choice in the matter, I wouldn't have bothered setting foot here in this…quaint little town of yours." He spat out those last words. "Thankfully, our time here has run its course."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Rocket asked. "What about Superboy?"

Doom turned to look at the high school. "He'll be along shortly."

Suddenly, a distant roar was heard before the Red Hulk burst from the roof of the school and landed next to the assembled heroes and villains. The Team saw that he was carrying an unconscious Superboy in one of his large hands, and after sparing a single glance at his unconscious foe, tossed him unceremoniously at the young heroes where he bounced off Rocket's bubble shield and hit the ground with a pained groan.

Nightwing turned to look back at Doom with a scowl. "Get out of here."

Doom gave a small huff, and with a flash of green light, the Masters of Evil were gone, Doom's stone dragon crumbling into dust now that it's master was no longer present. Sphere, no longer restraining a prisoner in her pilot's seat, transformed back to her normal form. M'gann awoke with a sudden gasp, and after seeing Superboy's condition, quickly ran over to him despite her body's protests. Likewise, Nightwing retrieved Zatanna from the dust pile and carried her bridal style back over to the group.

"So," Kid Flash began, observing the damage to the surrounding area. "…what do we do now?"

Nightwing and Aqualad took stock of their current situation; they had been attacked by a group of villains they'd never seen before that injured some of the strongest members of their team, caused massive amounts of property damage in the meantime, and no doubt scared some of the citizens, some of which were approaching the group right now. They still had yet to contact the League and inform them of their condition, but there were more immediate concerns to be addressed.

"We tend to our wounded, then the town." He then looked over to Aqualad, who nodded in agreement.

"And then we determine our next mission." Kaldur finished.

(X)

 **A few hours later…**

After helping clean up the rather large mess their scuffle with the Masters of Evil caused, the Team had gathered once again, this time within the Bioship, the large tarp they had draped over it a year ago having been removed and tossed aside some time ago. Superboy and Zatanna were currently absent, as their injuries were the worst of the bunch, while the rest of the young heroes were gathered around a holographic display of the group of villains they just fought.

As if on cue, Zatanna and Superboy, the latter being supported by Wolf, slowly walked up the boarding ramp and into the Bioship interior. Zatanna's injuries weren't as severe as they feared, as evidenced by the lack of bandages, but Superboy's were obviously the worst: he had bandages wrapped around his head, his right arm was in a sling, he has a large cut on his lip and his left eye had been swollen shut. M'gann and Dick immediately ran over to their significant others and offered their aid, which they gladly accepted, allowing themselves to be guided to their seats.

"You okay?" Dick asked his beloved.

"Y…yeah." Zatanna muttered, obviously still a little shaken.

Dick kissed the top of her head. "I'll be right here, alright?" Zatanna nodded and leaned against him.

Meanwhile, M'gann was busy gently rubbing her hands across Conner's bare chest. "You're not wearing your shirt?"

"The Doc said that it'll help me absorb more solar energy so I can heal faster." He stated before a sly grin formed on his face. "I could always put it back on…"

"Don't!" She said too fast for her liking. "I…I mean I don't mind. Doctor's orders and all."

They both shared a giggle, but stopped when Conner winced in pain and clutched his sides. "Ugh. It hurts to laugh."

M'gann only smiled and kissed him on his swollen eye. "Maybe that'll help you feel better."

"Sorry to interrupt guys," Rocket interjected. "…but we gotta get down to business."

The rest of the team straightened their postures before nodding at their leader to begin.

"These were images that Sphere managed to take before the fight." Aqualad explained, gesturing to the hologram. "And it's currently the only information we have on them."

"Can't we contact the League and see what they know?" Kid Flash asked, leaning forward in his chair and resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"We already tried that." Miss Martian pointed out tiredly. "The Bioship couldn't make contact with the Watchtower or any member of the League on any known frequency. She's currently doing a planet-wide scan with Sphere's assistance to see if they can locate someone, anyone out there." She gestured to a console off to the side that Sphere had plugged herself into.

"Well, it looks like we're down to good old fashioned detective work." Tigress said, smirking at Nightwing. "Right, bird boy?"

Nightwing glanced at Zatanna, who smiled and gently squeezed his hand, affirming him that she'd be okay if he left her side for a short time. Nightwing nodded back and then approached the hologram. "Right," he began, pointing at the image of the Masters of Evil's leader. "…let's start with mister tall, shiny and sinister himself, this "Doctor Doom."

"Clearly he's a magic user, and a powerful one at that." Aqualad spoke.

"Did you see anything you recognized, Z?" Rocket asked her friend.

Zatanna shook her head. "No. I mean, I've seen similar techniques and spells before, but this was…different."

"How so?" Nightwing inquired.

Zatanna placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. "His spells and attacks were more than just magic-based. It's like…like he was controlling the very essence of magic itself through sheer willpower."

"Willpower?" Superboy tilted his head. "Like the Green Lanterns?"

"If the Green Lanterns were all powerful magic users." Zatanna answered back. "The amount of power and control he had could rival Klarion and Doctor Fate; I could sense it."

"Sphere also managed to get some scans of his armor." Aqualad added. "According to her readings, it doesn't match anything we have on record; not Cadmus, Reach, New Genesisian or anyone. Logical conclusion?"

"Self-made." Rocket said, tapping her belt buckle nervously.

"Precisely."

"So this "Doctor Doom" is both a powerful sorcerer on par with the Lords of Order and Chaos themselves, AND a technological genius to boot?" Kid Flash listed off. "Crash, that gives me the goosebumps." He shuddered.

"Indeed, so let's move on." Aqualad decided. Doom's image flickered before it was replaced with that of Lucia. "Doom's personal representative, Lucia von Bardas. Tigress, what could you gather from your encounter with her? She too vanished when the rest of her group did."

"She was a cyborg, cold, focused like a laser and armed to the teeth with them." The blonde rattled off, but then she grinned at Kid Flash. "Although she proved very allergic to small kids with super speed. Thanks for that by the way."

But Kid Flash responded with a raised eyebrow. "For what?"

Tigress' grin faded. "For taking down Lucia. What else would I be talking about?"

"Okay, please know that I mean no offence by this, but I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, Artemis." Kid Flash explained.

Now the former archer was even more confused. "You're serious? You really don't remember taking out the She-Terminator right before she was about to vaporize me?"

"Yes. Granted, I did run all over town and even helped out Rocket along the way, but I never stopped to lend you a hand." He cringed at that confession. "Not that I wouldn't have if I saw..."

No, it's…it's fine." She waved him off. "Just…you know what? Never mind. Let's move on." But while her expression was impassive, her mind was racing.

' _If Bart didn't do it, then who…?'_

"Correct, let's move onto Living Laser." Aqualad's voice cut off her train of thought, directing her attention back to the projection that by now had switched to that of the black-clad energy being. "Bart?"

"Well, his claims about being pure energy did hold some water." Bart said, rubbing his shoulder. "His energy blasts felt like giant bee stings, and he managed to phase through some of my attacks, but only when concentrating." He pointed at Sphere with his thumb and smiled. "Although I did manage to throw off his concentration long enough for her to deliver the KO."

Aquaman nodded. "Moving on." One swipe of his hand later and Whirlwind appeared on the projection. "Whirlwind, whose powers and technology suggest a possible connection to T.O. Morrow."

"Yeah," Rocket began. "…but from what you guys told me, Mister Twister never went as far as to try and suffocate you like this psycho did." She grimaced as she rubbed her neck.

"T.O. Morrow was never the outsourcing type." Zatanna added.

"But it is currently the only lead we have." Aqualad added. "We'll look into it soon. Next." The image then shifted to show Red Hulk. "Superboy?"

"He punted Wolf through the roof like a football." Conner snarled. "I don't like him."

There was a pause as everyone stared at the half-kryptonian.

"…Very well, then." Aqualad changed the image again, this time so that Enchantress was displayed. "Enchantress, who also appeared to be a magic user like Doctor Doom. His apprentice perhaps?"

"Tch, yeah right. "Apprentice." Rocket mocked with air quotes. "Ya'll see the puppy-dog eyes she was giving Tin-Man? How she got all up in his personal space and gently caressed his arm, like this?" She mimicked the motions on Aqualad to get her point across, her voice having dropped into a low, sultry tone.

"Y…yes. You have a point, Rocket." Aqualad coughed to try and resist the blush growing on his cheeks, making Rocket giggle. "M'gann, did your telepathy give you any insight into who she was?"

Miss Martian stood up. "Barely, but Rocket's right: What brief glimpse I got of her mind showed me that she is indeed attracted to Doom." She scowled. "That was when she noticed my intrusion and retaliated."

"What exactly did she do to you?" Tigress asked.

The young martian put her hand to her forehead and groaned. "Images. Painful images that I thought were real. A dark place full of fire and agony, and a massive horned demon creature named…Surtur, I believe."

"Surtur?" Bart asked.

"Surtur the Flame Giant, also known as the God of Fire. Norse mythology." Conner spoke up, recalling the information Cadmus implanted in his mind. "Monarch of Muspelheim and mortal enemy of King Odin of Asgard. According to Norse lore, Surtur is the one destined to destroy Asgard with the Twilight Sword during the event known as Ragnarok, the Norse version of the Apocalypse, the end of the universe itself."

The Bioship was completely silent as the Team took a few seconds to process that information.

"And Enchantress actually…knows this guy?" Rocket broke the ice.

"Crash." Bart whispered.

"Doom sure likes to keep strange company." Tigress noted.

"Powerful and dangerous company." Aqualad added. "And finally, for the sake of time, let's focus on Grim Reaper and Baron Zemo." The hologram changed once more. "My duel with Reaper showed me that he was somewhat sadistic, as he would always smile and even laugh when he managed to inflict injury on me with his scythe." He rubbed his arm to soothe the ache caused by the cuts Reaper inflicted there. "Nightwing, any thoughts on Zemo?"

The former boy wonder put his hand to his chin in thought. "Hmm. He had this aura of confidence and determination about him I haven't seen in a while. And considering his weapons of choice were a WWII era pistol and an old-fashioned sword, those facts tell me he has been tempered with at least several decades of combat experience, indicating a prolonged life-span."

Aqualad raised an eyebrow. "I may be jumping the shark here (pun not intended), but are you suggesting he may have ties with the League of Shadows and Ra's Al Ghul himself?"

"That's what I thought, too. It's not concrete, but a small possibility."

BEEP, BEEP

Everyone's attention snapped towards Sphere, who had already disconnected herself from the console.

"Looks like Sphere finished her scan." M'gann suggested.

"Did you manage to make contact with or locate anyone?" Aqualad asked.

A low whine was all Sphere gave in response, sounding almost like a whimper.

"Well that didn't sound good." Kid Flash pointed out.

"Show us what you've found." Their leader ordered. Sphere gave off no noise, just reconnected herself to the console. The holographic projection lit up once more, this time taking on the shape of what they assumed was a globe of the world the called home.

They were wrong.

Gasps resounded throughout the interior of the martian vessel as the globe began to display continents and oceans that none of the team recognized, each one with its own geography and weather patterns. But what drew their attention even more were the eleven points of light littered across the planet in various locations, the data indicating them to be cities, some closer to one another than others.

"That can't be right!" Tigress tried to convince herself.

"Sphere doesn't make mistakes." Superboy assured her.

"Conner's right, guys." Nightwing supported the young hybrid. "Somehow, we're no longer on Earth."

"But how?" Kid Flash pleaded. "How did we end up on some other planet?"

"It must've been the dome." Zatanna reasoned. "It somehow transported us here without us realizing it."

"What could be capable of such a thing?" M'gann asked.

"And how do we get back to Earth?" Rocket inquired.

Aqualad approached the hologram and pressed his finger onto one of the points of light. The projection zoomed in to display a miniature and slightly transparent version of Happy Harbor. "Hmm, the map indicates that Happy Harbor isn't the only city or town on whatever planet this is." The map zoomed out to display the whole planet once more. "According to the map, there is another city a few hundred miles down the coast from here." He pressed his finger on said city and the projection zoomed in once more.

The image that appeared showed an urban metropolis with tall skyscrapers, several neighborhoods worth of houses and suburbs, and a bridge that simply stretched out into the water yet didn't seem attached to anything on one side. But what drew everyone's attention was the lone, oddly-shaped structure that sat on a small island a couple miles from the harbor.

"Hmm, it looks like a combination of Boston and San Francisco." Zatanna thought out loud, recalling her younger years travelling to those cities with her father to perform live shows with him.

"And that's where we're heading next." Everyone's eyes were on the young Atlantean now. "Sphere will remain here to maintain long distance communications. Wolf will stand guard alongside her in case more trouble comes this way." He gestured to the hologram. "The rest of us will take the Bioship and scout out our next door neighbors."

"Wait, we're leaving Wolf and Sphere behind?" M'gann asked, slightly astounded. "What if they do get into trouble?"

"Sphere was modified with some New Genesisian upgrades before we came here." Superboy explained. "If anything happens, she can just open a boom tube to our location and bring us back in a jiffy."

"I know it sounds strange, but look at the facts." Aqualad stated. "We're in completely unfamiliar territory and facing enemies that we've neither seen nor heard of before, and this was after someone or something transplanted Happy Harbor to another planet entirely. I'm not taking any chances."

"Agreed." Nightwing said.

He then turned towards the young speedster. "Kid Flash, go find the mayor and tell him we wish to meet with him to discuss our next course of action."

"On it." Bart saluted before zooming away.

"The rest of you," Kaldur looked to each member of his team. "…take whatever supplies and equipment you think we'll need, medical and otherwise. We're leaving in two hours. Dismissed."

As everyone began filing out of the ship, Wolf whined and nuzzled Superboy's leg, prompting him to pet his head and smile sadly down at him. "I know you want to come with us boy, but you heard Aqualad; you're needed here."

The augmented canine gave off another whine, and this time is was M'gann who stroked his fur. "Yeah, we know. It stinks."

By now only Nightwing and Aqualad remained on the ship, the former's hand still resting under his chin in thought.

"Something on your mind, Richard?"

"I just can't help but be curious." He pointed to the island structure in the projection. "Why would this building need to be shaped like a giant "T?"

 **Author's Note** :

This is the first time I've written a fight scene, let alone several in one chapter. How'd I do?

Constructive criticism is welcome.

Stay tuned for next time when the Tennysons face off against the products of a certain genetics research laboratory and their enforcer.

Thanks for your patience everyone and for reading.


	3. Back in Business Part 2

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

The Tennysons and company stopped just before they brought the cans of root beer to their lips and swiveled their heads in every direction, startled as they tried to locate the source of the loud disturbance.

"What was that?" Gwen wondered aloud, asking nobody in particular.

"I dunno." Ben answered. "Grandpa?"

"You know as much as I do, Ben." Max responded.

"Hey, look guys!" Cash shouted, pointing out the window.

Everyone did as he asked and then gasped when they saw the dome fading away, bringing blue skies back to Bellwood once more.

"What in the world?" Carl asked, flabbergasted.

The whole group got up from the table and rushed outside, their expressions all ones of awe as the giant cage appeared to vanish into thin air.

"How is this happening?" Sandra asked, gripping her husband's hand tight.

"Isn't this a good thing, though?" JT asked.

Max's eyes narrowed. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a cell phone and dialed one of his contacts within the city. "Hello? Mayor? Yes, it's me. I can see it too. Listen, please tell the police to reactivate the Plumber communications equipment and see if they can…"

KABOOM

Now their heads snapped towards downtown where a large plume of smoke was arising in the distance, as was the sound of screaming citizens.

"The people!" Gwen shouted.

"We gotta do something Grandpa!" Ben pleaded.

"Talk to me Mayor; what's happening?" A few seconds of silence passed before Max got his response, his eyes widening. "Really? Then tell the citizens to get off the streets and find cover indoors or underground. I'll be there shortly. Remember to keep me posted. Max out." He then hung up.

"What is it, Grandpa?" Ben asked.

"The mayor just told me that explosion was caused by "an army of robotic green monkeys. They're swarming through the streets and destroying everything they can get their hands on."

"Green robot monkeys?" Ben tilted his head.

"We have fought stranger." Gwen pointed out.

"But why did you tell the mayor you were going by yourself?" Ben asked his grandfather. "Can't we come with you?"

Max looked into his grandchildren's eyes and steeled himself for their response to his answer. "I want to kids, believe me, but with your watch deactivated and Gwen's magic having disappeared…"

"We've accomplished more with even less a lot of times before now!" Ben proclaimed.

Gwen prepared to defend Ben's claim, but it died in her throat when she saw a familiar light coming from the Rust Bucket. "Maybe not for much longer." She said cryptically as she pointed to said vehicle.

Ben soon realized what she was pointing at and gasped. "No way."

Max turned around and saw the light for himself, forcing himself to not gasp again as well. Before he even realized it, Ben and Gwen were already opening the side door and taking their first steps inside his mobile home before he followed suit. Entering the interior of the aged Plumber tech-enhanced vehicle, they saw that the focal point for the green light was underneath the bed in the very back. Walking into the bedroom ahead of the kids, Max got on his hands and knees before reaching under the bed and pulling out a medium-sized lockbox, aptly named the "Hero Box," the source of the near-blinding green light.

"You don't think…?" Gwen asked the other two.

Max answered by unlocking the small case. Slowly opening the lid, the three of them were greeted by the sight of a glowing Omnitrix sitting next to a small leather-bound tome. Ben was the first to react, reaching down and gently picking up the Omnitrix before Gwen did the same with her spellbook.

"The Omnitrix." Ben's smile gradually shifted from confusion to joy. "It works again!"

Gwen opened her book to a random page filled with several hieroglyphs and incantations. Squinting her eyes and focusing, she gently waved her hand over the pages and was rewarded with both the words and symbols lighting up in a pink glow, as did her hand. "My magic's back too."

"Grandpa, this means we can help now too!" Ben beamed.

Max couldn't help but grin at this development; seeing Ben and Gwen reacquire their unique gifts filled him with memories of their adventures together, and made him excited to have their team back to full strength.

"Now wait just a minute here, young man!"

Ben, Gwen and Max all turned to see Ben's parents, as well as Cash and JT, standing in the interior of the Rust Bucket with big frowns on their faces, Sandra's accompanied by a look of anger. "You've managed to go a whole year without that thing, and now that it works again you're just going to rush off into trouble again?"

"But mom, the city's in danger. Gwen and I have to go!" Ben pleaded for his mother to understand.

"No, your Grandfather already told you no. Not until we've discussed this!"

"Actually, I didn't." Max pointed out, now the focus of Sandra's wrath.

"Max, surely you can't…" She was silenced by her husband placing his hand on her shoulder, looking at her with a somber expression. "Carl?"

"Sandra, we already talked about this back when we first found out." Carl spoke softly. "I know we've loved having "Ben the normal son" back for the last year, but right now, this city needs "Ben the hero."

The pleading look in his eyes finally made her relent. "You're right." She sighed, before she felt someone small wrap around her lower half. Looking down, she saw her son giving her a big hug.

"I'll be alright, mom." Ben assured her, giving her a big smile. "I've got Gwen and Grandpa with me, just like old times."

Sandra could feel her eyes becoming moist as she knelt down to return his hug, Carl joining in as well. "Be careful, honey."

"Good luck, son."

"We'll make sure nothing happens to him." Max affirmed.

"Someone's gotta be there to keep him focused." Gwen added, smirking playfully when Ben stuck his tongue out at her.

"What about us?" Cash spoke up, him and JT not really knowing what to do.

"You two will come with us." Max explained, earning him startled looks from Ben's friends. "We'll drop you of at your parents' houses along the way. They must be worried sick."

"Okay." JT agreed, sighing in relief.

Max retrieved his phone once more. "Mayor, I've got an update: I'm bringing some reinforcements with me." He smiled down at his grandkids again. "Big ones."

With a grin on her face, Gwen then began channeling the magic within the pages of her spellbook, her eyes and hands illuminated by its pink light. "Ready, doofus?"

"You know it, dweeb!" Ben proclaimed, lifting the Omnitrix above his head before slamming it down on his wrist in an explosion of green energy.

"HERO TIME!"

(X)

 **Downtown…**

Cash and JT had been returned safely to their respective houses on the way there, granting them some relief, but the more damaged buildings and terrified citizens they passed by the faster that feeling faded away. By the time the Rust Bucket came to a stop in the middle of the road, a mixture of equal parts nervousness and excitement filled the Tennyson Trio as the stepped out of the Rust Bucket and took in their surroundings.

Everything was wrecked: shards of broken glass from smashed windows covered the sidewalks, a fire or two here, a caved in wall there, and practically each and every motor vehicle had been either torn apart or just flipped over upside down. But the most eerie aspect was that despite all the destruction, this particular street was completely vacant of both citizens and the robotic monkeys that they expected to see here.

The utter silence wasn't helping ease their nerves either.

"Are you sure this is the right place, Grandpa?" Ben asked.

"According to the mayor, yes." Max answered, his eyes constantly scanning the area around them for any signs of danger. He'd elected to change into his Plumber's suit after dropping off Ben's friends; after all, plumbing can have unforeseen problems, so it helps to be prepared.

"I don't see them anywhere." Gwen said, clutching her spellbook firmly in one hand.

Max retrieved a scanning device from his belt and brought it close to his face. "I'll see if I can get a…Wait."

"What's up?" Ben's hand was shaking as it hovered over the Omnitrix, waiting for the chance to activate it.

"I got something." He turned a dial on the side of the device, and then his eyes widened as dozens of red dots appeared all around the outer edges of the screen. "They're everywhere."

"Where exactly? We can't see them." Gwen rapidly began turning the pages of her book to find the appropriate spell for an ambush.

"Don't worry." Max noted dryly as the red dots began to converge toward the center of the screen, their current position. Putting the device away, he grabbed a small laser pistol and switched it on. "They're coming to us. Get ready."

A few seconds later, a manhole cover exploded off the ground and out popped three of the sleek and aerodynamic robotic animals the mayor warned them about: Standing about two and a half feet tall each, their bodies were dark metallic grey in color except for their joints, eyes and large, creepily smiling mouths which all glowed a neon-green.

Just then another manhole cover was removed along with several further down the street, followed by several more of the monkeys coming out from hiding in the shadows and scaling the sides of the buildings all the way to the top.

In the brief period of calm before the inevitable occurred, Ben, Gwen and Max all glanced at each other and gave a knowing nod. Ben began fiddling with the dial on the Omnitrix just when the monkeys charged, bounding and leaping at them from a distance.

Ben's hand slammed down on the dial, the resulting pulse of green energy stopping the monkeys in their tracks. Even Gwen and Max were blinded by the light, but when it dissipated, they smiled at the sight of a familiar Pyronite standing before them where Ben used to be.

"Oh, yeah." Heatblast cheered, giving himself an once-over. "Ben 10's back in action."

Remembering her spell book, Gwen glanced at the page she stopped at before taking a fighting stance and prepping an offensive spell in her right hand while also taking a mental note of the stone charms she spent the last year carving in a small pouch attached to her belt. "And so is Lucky Girl."

Heatblast snorted, earning him a glare from his cousin. "A whole year and you still couldn't think of a better name."

"You're one to talk, Hothead."

"Hey, it's Heatblast, remember?"

"KIDS!" Max shouted, gaining their attention. "Focus. Why haven't they moved?"

Looking back to the small army of mecha-monkeys before them, they noticed that they were all, indeed, just standing idly and staring at them with their huge eyes.

"Uh, maybe they're scanning us or something?" Heatblast suggested with a shrug.

"Why would they do that?" Gwen asked.

"To see if we're dangerous, that's why." Max answered.

To prove his assumption, the lights on all the mecha-monkeys suddenly changed from green to red, and a collective screech resounded from their numbers.

"Guess they figured we are." Gwen noted.

"Lock and load, people!" Heatblast proclaimed, his hands igniting.

The mecha-monkeys charged once more, this time with more ferocity. Once they were close enough, the Tennysons struck: Heatblast released twin streams of fire from his palms while Gwen hit them with a blast of telekinetic energy. The combo move managed to destroy four of the little robots and push five more of them back, and Max managed to pick off a couple more with two well-placed shots from his pistol.

"Let 'em have it." Max ordered as he continued blasting away.

Gwen nodded, as did Heatblast, but before he could react, two more monkeys came out of nowhere and latched onto his leg and face, the latter screeching loudly.

"AAAAAAAAGH YOURSELF!" The Pyronite screeched right back before destroying the robot with point-blank fire breath. He then grabbed the other robot and tossed it into the sky, only to then be surprised when the monkey stopped and began to hover in mid-air courtesy of what looked like a rocket pack attached to its back.

"Really?" Ben thought aloud. When the flying monkey was joined by over ten of its friends, the 11-year-old growled. "Okay, fine then. I'll join ya."

Aiming his hands downward, he superheated the ground beneath him before he tore a section from the ground with him still on it. Using it as a hovering platform, he levitated himself into the air until he was level with his enemies. Realising he was now surrounded, he merely chuckled and prepared two more fireballs.

"I'll melt you guys faster than when Dorothy melted the Wicked Witch. C'mon!"

And he let the flames fly.

Back on the ground, Gwen and Max were in a similar situation, the mecha-monkeys surrounding them on all sides, encircling them like a pack of wolves. Without averting his gaze, Max retrieve a small cylindrical device the size of a baseball from his belt and pressed a button on the side, priming it. Only when the monkeys leaped at them did he slam it into the ground. One energy pulse later and he and Gwen were surrounded by a humming, blue transparent bubble shield. The monkeys began clawing away at it to try and break through to their targets, but so far it was holding.

"Wow. Good thinking, Grandpa." Gwen praised.

"Thanks, but it'll only hold for sixty seconds tops." Max explained as he checked the time on his wristband. "Hope you got a spell ready."

Gwen tilted her head in thought before retrieving one of her stone charms from her bag, one that glowed blue. "Yeah, I think I've got one."

The two stood there in silence for just over half a minute longer, locking their eyes on their enemy as they waited for the shield to fall. Both clutched their respective weapons in their hands while their hearts hammered in their chests, beads of sweat gathering on their foreheads.

Then the shield ceased to hum before popping like the bubble it was.

However, the mecha-monkeys only managed a few steps before Gwen pitched her charm at them like a baseball. It sailed over the crowd of monkeys until it bonked one on the head…

"ELETRIZAR!"

…and that was when the symbol carved onto it, a lightning bolt, glowed brighter before the charm itself shocked the monkey with lightning, which arced from its body and shocked several of its brothers. After a few seconds of shaking uncontrollable as smoke spewed out of their joints due to fried circuitry, over a dozen of them collapsed into burnt heaps of charred metal and melted wires.

She turned her head to see her grandfather give her a congratulatory smile, but then noticed a commotion over by the rust bucket. "Grandpa!" She pointed behind him.

Max swiftly turned around and gasped at what he saw: roughly eight of the mecha-monkeys were climbing all over the Rust Bucket. Most were ripping of pieces of it witch their claws, other were cutting them away with lasers projected from their mouths.

They were going to tear apart their home like they did the buildings and cars in the area.

"Not on my watch." Max growled.

He quickly tapped a few buttons on his wristband while Gwen protected him from more monkeys using telekinetic bolts launched from her hands. When he was finished, the interior of the Rust Bucket began to glow blue, the light shining out through the windows and rapidly intensifying, but just when the light became blinding, it seemed to draw back into itself and dim, only to quickly explode out of the motor home in a wave of blue energy. Any mecha-monkey it came in contact with suffered a similar fate to the ones Gwen electrocuted, the red lights across their bodies going out as their circuitry was fried before collapsing to the ground deactivated.

Up in the sky, Heatblast was having the time of his life frying the flying monkeys to a crisp, laughing in triumph all the way, only for his targets to suddenly plummet from the sky and hit the ground with a loud "clang."

"Huh?" Lowering himself back to the street, he cast a confused glance at Max and Gwen just when the Omnitrix's timer reached zero and he turned back into his human form. "What happened, guys?"

"E.M.P." Gwen explained looking up at Max.

"Sorry kids; didn't want this to drag on." Their Grandpa shrugged.

But Ben was still confused. "What's an E.M.P.?"

"It stands for electro-magnetic pulse." Gwen answered him. "It wipes out all circuitry and computers…"

"Oh, you mean an Emp. I've seen those in my video games."

Gwen was perplexed by her cousin's lack of grammar. "Emp? That's not how you say it."

"Uh, yeah. That's how people say it: Emp."

"No, they don't."

"I say it that way."

"It's initials for Electro. Magnetic. Pulse. That's E.M.P."

"Right, which spells "Emp." Duh."

"We don't have time for this. You are wrong."

"Oh really? Why don't we put it to a vote then?"

"A vote? No, no vote. You're just wrong; it's E.M.P."

"Um, kids?" Max finally got his grandkids' attention and pointed down the street where they could see a lone figure walking towards them.

The figure in the center was a tall, strongly-built man with short blonde hair whose face was covered by a gray hockey mask, revealing only his eyes. The rest of his outfit consisted of a sleeveless purple muscle shirt and black pants held up by a belt with a big silver buckle, arm and elbow pads on both of his arms and fingerless gloves, and metal armor plates attached to his left arm.

And he was laughing.

"Hahaha. Seeing you kids fight reminds me of when my little girls would tussle over the dumbest things."

Ben leaned toward Gwen and spoke quietly. "Did he just call me a girl?"

Gwen facepalmed.

"I take it those monkeys were yours?" Max gestured to the mechanical bodies that littered the area.

"I was given charge over them, yes. Had to get your attention somehow." He narrowed his eyes at the two children. "Although I wasn't informed you'd be so…small."

Ben reached for the Omnitrix. "I can make myself a lot bigger, pal."

"Ben." Gwen hissed in a worried tone.

"Oh, I saw that. Pretty impressive." The man then retrieved the hockey stick fastened to his back. "But you're gonna need more than a little heat if you wanna hang with the big leagues."

"What do you mean by that?" Max stepped forward, placing himself in front of his grandkids on purpose for the sake of their own protection.

"Let me introduce you." The man said as he rose his hockey stick above his head. "Ready boys?"

There was a pause before something close by let out a loud roar. The Tennysons turned to their right and saw a grotesque, hulking humanoid with gray stone-like skin covered in small tears that exposed the muscle underneath, and wearing nothing but torn brown shorts. It leaped off the building and landed right next to Mr. Hockey Mask.

Then they all saw a shadow fall over the street and looked up to see the silhouette of a young man blocking the sun as he hovered above them. Then he slowly descended and they got a good look at him: He appeared to be no older than a teenager (Max guessed 16), with short black hair and an impressive physique for his age. His attire was a simple form-fitting red body suit with white accents that covered everything except his head and hands and had a strange symbol on its chest; a diamond-shaped, five-sided pentagram with a backwards "S" in it, also white. But what unnerved them the most were his eyes with their black sclera, light-blue irises and black pupils that were now part of the scowl he was giving them.

"To my left is Blockbuster. To my right is Match, and I'm Sportsmaster." The blonde man finally revealed.

"So this is the "big leagues?" Ben spoke up. "What, did you not have any more hockey gear in their size?"

Sportsmaster chuckled. "Who said anything about hockey, kid? We were thinking more along the lines of…team deathmatch." He chuckled darkly as his grip on the hockey stick tightened.

"Play ball."

When Ben realized that Match was now charging towards him, he hit the Omnitrix so quick that he didn't have time to select an alien, thinking that anything was better than his current squishy human self. Thankfully, the form he was given was XLR8, allowing him to dash out of the way, taunt his teenaged foe, and then run away as a blue and black blur, Match growling and giving chase right after, matching his opponent's speed.

Blockbuster, meanwhile, sneered at Gwen, showing his nasty yellow teeth. Realising what was coming, Gwen snapped her fingers and disappeared in a flash of pink light, reappearing on top of a wrecked car some distance behind the behemoth.

"Yoohoo. Over here, ugly!"

"Gwen, what're you doing?" Max called out.

"Don't worry Grandpa, I can handle this!" Gwen answered back as she leaped off the car before Blockbuster could flip it over, disappearing around a corner.

"You're right." Max whispered. "I know you can."

"Your granddaughter's got guts, old man." Sportsmaster commended as he twirled his stick around with one hand. "Let's see how strong yours are."

Gripping the hockey stick with both hands, he swung hard, aiming for Max's head, but shockingly, the elderly man blocked it with his forearm, grabbed ahold using the hand of that same arm, and then used his other hand to snap the thing in two, kicking the broken half away. Sportsmaster was temporarily dumbstruck, but then Max saw his eyes narrow as he discarded the other half of his broken hockey stick before retrieving the reinforced titanium bat also strapped to his back and rushing forward again.

Max brought up his laser pistol again (still functional) and fired a few more shots, but Sportsmaster deflected them with his bat before swinging it when he got close enough and knocking the gun out of Max's hand, but when he tried to bring it back up to club Max in his kidneys, Max blocked it, constricting his arm around both of Sportsmaster's, stopping the attack cold. The aged Plumber then delivered a quick left hook to the masked man's temple, who responded with a head-butt. Max grit his teeth and kicked the younger man away, taking a moment to check if his nose was broken (thankfully it wasn't) before glaring at the villain.

"You want to know something?" Max asked with a grin. "You just reminded me of a famous quote from an ex-pro."

"Really?" The masked man taunted. "Well then enlighten me."

"Stop me if you've heard this one." Max reached behind his back and retrieved something that resembled the handle of some kind of tool. Gripping it in both hands, he then twisted it until it made a 'click' sound, and out of one end came a beam of blue energy that expanded to form the shape of a bat. He could see by the way Sportsmaster's eyes shifted that he had raised an eyebrow in response to his opponent's choice of weapon.

"If you train hard, you'll not only be hard, you'll be hard to beat." Max recited as he shifted into a fighting stance, his bat ready to swing.

"Herschel Walker. Heh, I guess wisdom really does come with age." Sportsmaster acknowledged.

"And wisdom is always an overmatch for strength." The Ex-Plumber retorted.

Both combatants didn't waste a minute longer and rushed forward.

And the game was on.

(X)

 **Two blocks away…**

' _Well, I thought I could do this.'_

Gwen had repeated that thought in her mind over and over again as she dodged and fled from Blockbuster's relentless assault. The brute had proven to be more resilient than she anticipated as he took the full force of some of her strongest "charm bombs" when their little chase began. If anything, her attempts to harm him only made him angrier.

' _Fire, ice and electricity don't work, so what will?'_ She thought. By now she had run to one of the less damaged parts of town and was hiding inside an empty candy store. She peeked out the front window and saw Blockbuster flipping over cars and snarling in frustration as he searched for his prey.

Gwen ducked down low again and checked her pouch; one charm bomb left, a smoke one.

' _I might be able to use this as a distraction, but then what? Keep running?'_

Setting her pouch down, she pulled out her spellbook and began flipping through the pages, desperately searching for a spell, curse, anything that would give her an edge. She made it halfway through the book before something caught her eye, making her squint in concentration before her face lit up upon finding the right incantation.

' _That could work. I just need to…'_

CRASH

Gwen covered her head with her hands as shards of glass rained down on her, and when she looked up, she saw Blockbuster looming over her with an evil grin on his face, the rancid breath from his nostrils causing her to gag.

"So…," she chuckled awkwardly, "…how about for this round, _you_ hide and _I_ seek?"

"RAAAAAWWR!"

"Didn't think so!" Quickly reaching into her pouch and retrieving the lone charm bomb, Gwen shoved it into Blockbuster's open mouth, lodging it in his throat.

"ONTPLOFFEN." She shouted.

A small flash of light emanated from the monster's throat before geysers of gray smoke spewed out of his mouth, nostrils and ears. He began making choking noises as he stumbled back into the street, both hands clutching his throat as the torrent of thick suffocating vapor brought him to his knees.

Seeing her opportunity, Gwen vaulted over her cover and sprinted across the pavement before leaping onto her opponents back. Retrieving a marker from her pocket, she began the delicate process of writing the symbol for her chosen spell onto the back of the beast's neck.

Not knowing why his opponent latched onto his back, but irritated nonetheless, Blockbuster began furiously clawing at his back to try and reach the nimble little girl, and while she did manage to avoid his attempts to grab her for a short while, eventually his fingers latched onto the back of her shirt. Snarling, he threw her over his head where she landed some distance away. He coughed a few times to remove the excess smoke from his lungs and then proceeded to march towards his downed prey, fury blazing in his red eyes.

Resting on one knee, Gwen looked him in the eye.

"You know, you really ruined my afternoon, buster." She spoke. "How about I return the favor." She paused and reached out with her hand, her eyes narrowing as she channeled her magic.

"MENARIK!"

Blockbuster suddenly felt a small spot on the back of his neck grow warm. He used his hand to feel that area, his finger tracing over the glowing silver rune Gwen had drawn there. He prepared to start running towards her, but then felt something hard latch onto his back, almost making him stumble. Reaching behind him, he struggled to remove the offending object before he pulled it free and realized it was…a moped. Growling in confusion, he looked ahead at Gwen and saw her standing tall with her arms crossed and a cocky smirk on her face. Snarling once more, he tried to take another step forward, but was forced back once more when an abandoned car slammed into his midsection. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a metal table sailing towards him and tried to swat it away, only for it to stick to the back of his hand upon contact.

Gwen heard the sound of metal scraping pavement from behind her and threw herself to the ground to avoid getting hit by both another car and a hot dog stand, her eyes following them as they sailed through the air and latched onto Blockbuster magnetically. She watched with slight humor as he struggled in vain to tear off all the metal attached to him, but his movements became slower and slower as cars, trucks, pipes, manhole covers, anything and everything made of metal piled on top of him until, eventually, he was completely submerged in a forty-foot high heaping pile of all things steel, iron titanium, etcetera in the area.

Standing back up, Gwen walked over to the pile and knelt down to look into Blockbuster's lone visible eye.

"If Ben were here, he'd probably say something smart to mock you." She then picked up a pocket watch sitting idly on the ground by her feet. "But I'll just do this."

She then slammed the watch over Blockbuster's eye, concealing it and causing him to let out a muffled roar from his prison.

"That should hold you for a while." Gwen taunted while dusting off her hands.

BOOM

A distant explosion almost made her jump out of her shoes. She turned towards the source and saw smoke rising up into the sky, realizing that it was coming from her cousin's favorite place to get a certain cold concoction within Bellwood.

"Ben." She whispered. "Hang on…"

(X)

 **Mr. Smoothy…**

"That was too close." Ben whispered to himself as he stared at the destroyed semi-truck his opponent had thrown at him moments before.

He was currently hiding behind another abandoned vehicle, a red convertible to be precise, in the Mr. Smoothy parking lot. He did his best to lead Match away from Grandpa and Gwen, but inevitably the timer on the watch ran out, forcing him to stop right outside his favorite place in town and collect his bearings, that is until Match caught up with and that car at him, forcing him to duck for cover. He knew he only had moments to react before his was discovered, and so took a quick glance at the Omnitrix.

' _I've only got enough power left for one, maybe two transformations.'_ He thought worriedly as he fiddled with the dial, his back pressing more firmly against the side of the car. _'This guy's fast and strong. I need something that can…'_

"RAAAAAGH!"

"Oh, boy."

The convertible was suddenly lifted off the ground, forcing Ben to turn around and gasp at the sight of Match holding it above his head, his teeth showing as he snarled at the boy.

"Please don't mess up." Ben said aloud without even looking at the watch. Keeping his wide eyes fixed on Match, he pressed down on the dial once more. There was a flash of green light, temporarily blinding Match, and when he focused again he found himself looking up into the eyes of a four-armed, red skinned and ripped creature in a black and white body suit staring down at him.

"Here," the thing spoke, "…let me help you with that."

Grabbing the convertible in a firm grip, Fourarms forcible removed it from Match's grasp and in one fluid movement, tore the thing in two before smashing both halves against Match, sandwiching the teen in between them.

Fourarms put his hands to his hips and admired his work. "Mr. Smoothy's newest item: the **Match** burger." He bellowed out a laugh.

His celebration was cut short, however, when Match freed himself from his vehicular prison, roared again and then rushed forward to tackle his larger adversary. Fourarms planted his feet, his heels digging grooves into the ground as he was pushed further and further back across the pavement. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Mr. Smoothy getting closer and closer, realizing that if he didn't do something, they'd both end up destroying his favorite hang-out place, and all those poor smoothies and sodas he'd never be able to drink.

That was most definitely not an option.

He freed his top two arms and wrapped them around Match's abdomen. Gritting his teeth, he lifted Match above his head before slamming him back onto the ground, cratering it upon impact. He repeated the process two more times before he hoisted him up by his wrists, and then proceeded to use his second pair of arms to punch the helpless teen repeatedly.

Unfortunately, Match managed to recover and block the next two punches with a couple kicks of his own, then, using his flight ability, forced himself to the ground, spun on his heel, and threw Fourarms over his head, where he crashed headfirst into the pavement.

"Fantaftich." Fourarms complained with a mouth full of asphalt. He yanked his head out of the ground and spat out the chunks of debris before he heard Match's distinct growl rapidly approaching from behind.

Thinking fast, the Tetramand sprang off his feet and launched himself backwards, colliding with Match and sending them both sprawling. As Match prepared to get back up, Fourarms reacted quicker and pinned the teen's limbs with both sets of arms.

"Stay. Down." He demanded, but Match refused to relent as he struggled against his opponent's hold. Fourarms grunted in annoyance before…

BEEP, BEep, beep…

Gasping, he looked to the Omnitrix symbol on his left shoulder and saw it flashing red while giving off its signature alarm.

"Oh, c'mon!" He groaned. Looking back down at Match, he noticed that he had stopped struggling to free himself…and that now his eyes were glowing red. "Uh, oh."

The next thing Fourarms noticed was his face feeling like it was getting sunburned as twin beams of heat blasted out of Match's eyes and sent him sailing across the parking lot. He landed hard, to the point that he was still disoriented even after he changed back to Ben. Groaning in pain, he lifted his head and saw Match now standing over him looking no worse for wear.

"Uh," Ben began awkwardly, "…wanna take a break? The smoothies here are reallyAGH!"

Faster than the eye could blink, Match grabbed hold of Ben's wrist, his _left_ wrist, and lifted the boy up to eye level, growling when their gazes met. But despite the dire situation, Ben didn't panic or beg for mercy, he simply met his enemy's glare with an equally intense one of his own, even as Match's eyes began to glow once more.

BEEP

"ARGH."

Match suddenly let go of Ben's wrist and began shaking his hand frantically, almost as if he had burned it on something. Ben, having landed on his rear, looked to the Omnitrix and saw that it was now glowing yellow while the symbol rotated back and forth.

Capture Mode.

' _This guy's an alien?'_ Ben thought to himself, puzzled. When the Omnitrix finished its new calibrations, a silhouette of Match appeared on the list of selections. Casting one quick glance back at his foe, Ben scowled and slammed his palm on the watch.

' _One last transformation. Here we go.'_ He thought as he felt his body begin to shift.

Match took notice of the bright green flash, and after guessing what it meant, began to rush forward to challenge whatever form his enemy took this time…only to stop cold when he saw who the boy had changed into.

Ben looked down at his new form. Like Match, he was now dressed in a form fitting suit almost identical to his enemy's, except the red and white were now replaced with black and green, and instead of a backwards "S" there was now the symbol of the Omnitrix within the five-sided pentagram on his chest.

He looked down at his hand, and then the muscle beneath the skin, and then the bones underneath that. "Whoah, cool. None of my aliens have ever had x-ray vision before." He lifted his gaze to look at Match who was now gritting his teeth at him. "What are you?"

"RAGH!" Match roared as he flew towards his double, fist cocked back and ready to strike.

"Do you even know what words _are_?" Ben asked as he prepared to defend himself.

When Match was close enough, he threw his punch, but to his surprise, his double caught it. Smirking, Ben delivered the strongest uppercut he could, sending Match sailing into the air. When he recovered, he checked his nose for damage, only to see that Ben was now flying upward to meet him in the air. Match snarled and flew downward, drawing his fist back once more. Ben did the same, and when they were close enough, both attackers threw their punches at the same time, their fists colliding with such force that the impact shockwave caused several abandoned vehicles on the ground to nearly tip over. Ben grimaced and shook his hand to relieve the soreness, but while he was distracted, Match dropkicked him hard enough to slam him back into the ground.

Before Ben could react, Match was on top of him and strangling him. He grabbed his foe's wrists and tried to free himself, but it was to no avail. Angry at his current predicament and concerned about Gwen and Grandpa's well-being, Ben popped the cap off of his anger and let it all out in just two words:

"LET GO!"

His voice resounded like an exploding bomb, shattering the windows of several cars around him. Match, unable to cope with the sudden onrush of pain, let go of Ben's neck to cover his ears in a vain attempt to drown out the noise. Smirking, Ben kicked his foe away, causing him to do a backwards somersault across the ground. Getting back to his feet, Ben took several deep breaths and rubbed his neck with a groan. His ears caught the sound of crumpling metal and saw Match getting back up again while using another car to support himself.

"Man, how many hits can you take?" The eleven-ear old growled as he felt his eyes begin to grow strangely hot. "Forget it, I've got to stop this, now!"

Match, realizing what was about to happen, released his heat vision first. Ben fired his own blast right after, the beams colliding at the halfway point, leading to a fierce beam struggle between the two. The heat was so intense that it actually began to belt the tires of the vehicles around them as the ground beneath the point of convergence glowed red hot.

Stalemate.

Until, for some reason, Match decided to close his eyes, ceasing his attack and leaving him wide open to take the full force of Ben's "laser eyes," as he dubbed them mentally.

"Huh?" Ben asked aloud as he observed Match writing on the ground in agony while clutching a noticeable black spot on his face.

"I thought you could use a hand." An unmistakable voice spoke to him from behind.

Ben only had to turn his head slightly to see his cousin move to stand next to him. "Heh, took you long enough."

"Oh, quit it." She shot back, then gave her cousin's new appearance an once-over. "I thought the Omnitrix couldn't change you into other humans."

"It didn't." Ben clarified, pointing at his double. "It took a sample from him."

Gwen's eyes widened. "He's an alien?"

Ben shrugged. "Apparently, and a tough one at that." He flexed his fingers. "You wouldn't believe how many powers he has."

"Then let's take him down quick and get back to Grandpa." Gwen proclaimed as she conjured magical energy in her hands.

Ben nodded and prepared for his opponents next move. By now Match was standing upright again, and the appearance of another enemy didn't faze him one bit as he prepared to attack…only to suddenly stop, his arms lowering and his head turning so he could gaze at something in the distance. Ben and Gwen, obviously confused, looked in the same direction and only blue sky. A flash of white light drew their attention back to Match was standing where they saw him vanish before their very eyes.

"…Oh, c'mon!" Ben exasperated. "Why do they always run?"

"I don't know. It seemed like he was whisked away unexpectedly, from the looks of it." Gwen pointed out.

Ben stared for a moment longer before he sighed. "Whatever. Let's just get out of here." A devious smirk formed on his face. "Need a lift?"

"Oh no you DoOOOOOOOOON'T!"

(X)

 **Back at the Rust Bucket…**

Shortly after their return to the motor home, the Omnitrix's timer ran out, reverting Ben back to normal. The cousins then spent at most a minute searching for their grandpa until the Ex-Plumber came stumbling out of a trashed pawn shop, limping on one leg and rubbing a black eye and caryring some object in his hand.

"GRANDPA!" The kids yelled, running over to lend their support.

"I'm alright, kids." He half-chuckled. "You should see the other guy." He then let go of the object he was holding: Sportsmaster's mask, now broken in two.

"Where'd they go, anyway?" Ben asked as they set Max down on the ground next to the Rust Bucket, allowing him to lean back against it.

"I don't know." Max breathed out, massaging his aching leg. "We were getting ready to go another round before he stopped and then simply vanished."

"Just like with Match." Ben added.

"Blockbuster's probably gone now, too." Gwen realized.

Max nodded in agreement. "Be that as it may, kids, we have more pressing concerns right now."

"Like finding who they worked for." Ben suggested.

"No, he means getting back to our parents, doofus!" Gwen retorted.

"You both are right, but that's not what I meant." He retrieved a small, walkie-talkie looking device from his belt. "After Sportsmaster vanished, I tried getting back in touch with the outside world now that the dome's gone." He activated the device and handed it to Ben, Gwen leaning in to get a good look at what the small screen it had was displaying. "That is what I discovered."

Ben and Gwen's eyes narrowed in focus on the little screen, before they widened in surprise.

"Grandpa…" Ben started.

"This isn't…we're not on…" Gwen rambled.

"I know, kids." Max breathed out. He retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and hit redial again. "…Mayor, yes it's me. The situation's been resolved, the enemy has disappeared…yes, the robot monkeys are scrap now, we're in the clear, but I need you to do something for me…pass the word on that all the citizens need to gather in front of city hall for an important announcement." He paused to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"We've all been abducted."

 **Author's Note** :

I recently discovered that Ben 10 is getting rebooted as well. Who knew?

Thanks for waiting. I'm back home from school now which means I'll have more free time to keep working on this.

As always, constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next Time: Do you dig giant robots?


	4. Back in Business Part 3

**Jersey City…**

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

Coop and company were close to finishing rinsing off the hood of Megas' cockpit when the announcement was made, and when they heard it, they all stared wide-eyed at the sky just as the dome began to dissolve.

"Dude?!"

Jamie's voice drew Coop's attention to him, and he saw the reason why his friend shouted. As Coop himself was the one holding the water hose, but with his attention focused elsewhere, he allowed his hand to drift until he pointed the hose not at the hood of the car, but Jamie's pants.

Quickly dropping the hose, Coop raised his hands in defense. "Sorry bro, I was distracted for a moment."

"Grr…" Jamie growled, gritting his teeth.

"Hey guys!" Kiva called out. Turning towards her, they saw her sitting in the driver's seat of the cockpit. Looking back at each other, they shrugged, dismissing their earlier conflict for the moment, and walked over.

"What is it Kiva?" Coop asked as he poked his head through the window, noticing Kiva's fingers tracing lines across the extremely complicated (for anyone besides Coop) dashboard.

"I'm not sure, but I noticed that all these lights on the dash spontaneously reactivated." She turned to look at Coop, who was now grinning like a kid in a candy store. "Coop?"

"Get in the back, Kiva." His voice was level, but trembling with excitement. "Please."

Kiva paused for a moment before grinning knowingly. Obeying his commands, she plopped herself in the back seat, right in the middle, while Jamie and Coop took their respective positions in the driver and passenger seats. Coop's hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel, the feeling long absent now finally returned to him. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small, golden key, and after staring at it for a moment, inserted it into the ignition. He cast a quick glance at Jamie, who nodded silently, and action which Kiva repeated when Coop looked her way.

Turning back to the key, his fingers still holding on tightly, he took a deep, calming breath before he turned it.

 _VROOM_

Gasping in surprise, but smiling broadly, Coop shifted the gear from "park" to "drive," but kept his foot planted on the brake for the time being. From the outside, one could see the prone form of Megas rumbling and groaning as the titan of a machine awoke after more than a year of sleeping soundly. It flexed its fingers before planting both hands on the ground for support, and then it lifted one knee and pushed itself off the dirt, standing tall as the sun gleamed off its newly polished armor.

"Oh. Yeah!" Coop shouted, sticking his head out the window and pumping his fist in the air.

"You said it, man." Jamie agreed, mimicking his best friend's actions.

"But, I don't understand." Kiva spoke up, perplexed. "The controls and systems were completely inoperable. How could they suddenly just be working again out of the blue?"

 _KABOOM_

A distant explosion cut their celebration a little short, a plume of smoke rising from somewhere on the other side of town.

Coop's eyes narrowed, but his smile remained unchanged. "We'll worry about that later, Kiva. Right now…"

He shifted gears once more, causing Megas to slam his right fist into the palm of his left hand, ready for action.

"…looks like we've got bad guys to bash!"

Slamming his foot on the gas, he activated Megas' rocket boosters and the giant robot shot off into the skies above the city, making a beeline towards the disturbance.

"Aw man." Jamie complained. "Can't I change my pants first?"

After a couple minutes of aerial travel later and they arrived at the site of the problem.

Downtown Jersey City was a crater.

Literally.

The outlining buildings were only half-destroyed, but the damage got even worse the further inward it got towards the point of impact, where a massive pile of destroyed buildings lay in the center of an otherwise barren and scorched indent in the ground that was about the size of a football stadium.

"Hmm, it must have impacted when we weren't paying attention?" Kiva observed from the back seat. "Maybe it was just a simple meteor."

"Um, baby?" Jamie spoke up hesitantly. "No offense, but when have we EVER been that lucky?"

Kiva pondered his question for a moment before nodding. "Point taken."

"Kiva's right." Coop spoke up, his gaze fixed on the center of the crater. "We've got to be ready for anything. It could be the Glorft…"

"…or Grrkek…" Jamie added.

"…or my less-handsome evil self from another dimension…" Coop went on.

"…or maybe even…Warlock." Kiva finished. All three of them shuddered at that last name.

Then the ground began to tremble. The three friends tensed up in their seats as they saw rays of purple light shoot out of the rubble pile right before it exploded, blinding our heroes. A few seconds later they were able to focus themselves, and then their eyes widened at what they saw.

Standing in the epicenter of the crater was a slim robotic-looking creature. It was adorned in silver armor with red highlights all over its body, save for the pieces covering its arms which were black, with massive, square-shaped shoulder pylons. Its shape was oddly proportioned, with a thin, skinny waist, long arms that reached almost to its knees, and a dinosaur-shaped head with an elongated chin.

It stood there motionless, hunched over as its glowing red eyes stared at the ground, seemingly ignoring Megas.

"Well, this is new." Coop stated, his eyes never leaving the creature.

"Ring any bells, babe?" Jamie asked, barely turning his head.

"No." She stated, a small hint of concern in her voice. "I don't recognize this creature at all."

"Well, whatever it is, it trashed my town!" Coop reached for a microphone and brought it to his face. "Hey, skinny silver thing, you got a lot of nerve trashing my city before I've even had lunch!"

No movement came from the creature dubbed "Silver" in Coop's head.

"And not eating lunch puts me in a really. Bad. Mood."

Still no movement.

"So, I'm only gonna ask once: get your keister out of my city and off this planet or I'll…"

Now Silver decided to move, standing fully upright and revealing two things; it's purple-ish neck uncovered by armor plating, and that it was taller than Megas itself. It clenched its hands into fists, its silver-plated knuckles cracking.

Then its red eyes began to glow purple instead.

"HANG ON!" Coop called out as he veered the steering wheel to the left.

Megas ducked and rolled to the side, barely missing the twin beams of energy blasted from Silver's eyes. Several buildings in their pathway, and a few more from where the energy shot out to the left and right, were blasted to kingdom come, the resulting devastation appearing as if someone dropped a massive cross on the area.

"Whoah." Jamie breathed out.

Coop stared only for a moment longer before gritting his teeth and turning to face his opponent again…only to find it had vanished.

And that's when he saw the shadow.

Looking straight up, he saw that Silver had leapt high into the air. Performing a front flip, it brought its feet down to perform a diving kick on Megas. Shifting gears once more, Coop had Megas jump sideways and avoid the attack. Silver's impact made the earth tremble, but its head quickly snapped in Megas' direction, a deep growl rumbling out of its throat.

Knowing what was coming, Coop grabbed hold of the video game controller in both hands and scowled.

Snarling, Silver leaped forward, both hands reaching for Megas' head, clawing viciously. Megas responded by kneeing it in the gut, forcing it to keel over. Reacting fast, Megas wrapped his arms around Silver's waist, hoisted it up and then suplexed it head-first into the ground. He prepared to stomp on it next, only for it to tackle him, pinning him to the ground for a moment before tossing him several city blocks away. After seeing his opponent leap in the air again, Megas activated his rocket punch, launching his fist at Silver before it began its decent. The fist exploded upon contact, causing Silver to hit the ground hard, lying motionless.

Cocking his wrist like a shotgun, Megas' lost hand was replaced with another one that protruded out of the opening just as Silver began to stand back up. Not wasting any time, Megas charged forward, his massive feet thundering with each step, but was stopped by an orange, hexagon-shaped force field appearing in between him and his target, the monster having returned to standing hunched over with its arms hanging limp.

Megas attempted to break through the force field with several rapid-fire punches to no avail.

"This isn't working, Coop." Kiva pointed out.

"Not yet it isn't." The fat pilot proclaimed as he held down the "B" button, his thumb growing sore, but suddenly, the force field disappeared into thin air, startling him. "Um…"

"Coop, watch out!" Jamie shouted.

"Huh?" Coop looked forward just as Silver's eyes flashed purple once more, compelling him to press the "A" button on the controller to try and jump away.

Too late.

Megas took the full force of the blast square in the chest, the resulting cross-shaped explosion sending him sailing back cross the city and tumbling through several buildings.

Landing flat on his back, Megas lay still as Coop attempted to work the controls to get the titan back on its feet.

"Ow." Jamie groaned, clutching his aching head. "When have we been hit like that before now?"

"I don't think we ever have." Coop answered as he found the right button.

As Megas righted itself as brushed off his chest, Kiva spoke up. "Guys, I think I've figure something out."

Both Coop and Jamie turned to look back at her. "What is it?"

"I noticed that its force field disappeared before it fired its laser vision."

"Meaning what exactly?" Coop inquired before he heard a "beep" come from the dash; the proximity alarm. All three looked down the street to see Silver lumbering towards them, still hunched over with its arms dangling listlessly, giving it a very zombie-like appearance from their perspective.

"Meaning," Kiva went on. "…it can't use both at the same time."

Jamie caught on. "So all we gotta do is get up close and personal." He cast a wicked grin in Coop's direction.

Coop mimicked his friend's expression. "Alright, I can dig it. Time for the old "smash and trash!" But then he paused, looking over his shoulder. "That'll work in this situation, right?"

Kiva smirked. "Yes it will."

"Okay then." Shifting gears again and slamming on the gas, Megas' rocket boosters fired up and propelled the mech down the street towards its target.

Silver, noticing its opponent's movements, stopped walking and planted its feet before firing another blast of laser vision. This time, however, Megas was ready and shot into the sky, dodging the projectile. Tracking its enemy's movements, Silver looked upward and saw Megas suspended in mid-air, responding with another blast of energy that Megas avoided.

And so the game began, with Megas doing loop-de-loops, somersaults, barrel rolls, and aerial flips to avoid Silver's projectile attack, slowly moving closer and closer with each dodge.

"I think I'm gonna be sick, Coop." Jamie moaned.

"Almost there." Coop could feel his hands sweating against the controls.

Finally, Megas was close enough that when Silver prepared another eye beam attack, it was forced to drop it to protect itself with its barrier. Once again, Megas and his passengers were unable to move forward.

Just as Coop had hoped.

Megas hit the barrier with several slow punches, and when he reared his hand back again, the barrier dropped, and he saw the faintest flash of purple in Silver's eyes.

"Gotcha!"

Rushing forward with another rocket boost, Megas delivered a vicious uppercut to Silver's jaw, which had the added bonus of redirecting its eye-beam attack skyward, rendering it harmless. Silver snorted indignantly, but when it looked back down at its foe, it received a two-fingered poke to its eyes, blinding it momentarily and making it growl in frustration.

But Megas didn't let up. He delivered several hard jabs to Silver's midsection before lifting the creature above his head and bringing its back down on his knee with a resounding "crack." Rolling off the knee onto its front, Silver tried to stand, only to be pinned by a massive foot slamming down onto its back. Megas the grabbed hold of Silver's right arm in a lock, and with all the strength his servos could muster, pulled.

The sickening sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing filled the air as Silver's limb was ripped off its body.

Coop, Jamie and Kiva all sat in the cockpit, dumbstruck.

"Well, it's alive." Coop said as he stared at the severed arm held tightly in Megas' grip. "Okay, then."

Any further analysis was broken when Silver reared its legs back and kicked Megas off of it, sending the blue mech tumbling down the street. Bracing himself on his elbows, Megas' pilots watched as Silver stood to its full height, its whole body trembling in anger as it growled more fiercely.

Then, to everyone's shock, its metallic jaws opened with a "snap," revealing a set of large red teeth underneath the armor plating. And if that wasn't enough, the outline of a large glowing red circle appeared within the creature's chest before the silver monstrosity lifted its bloody stump of an arm and then proceeded to grow a brand new one in a sickening display of regenerative abilities, resulting in a brand new appendage that looked oddly human despite being attached to such a freakish thing.

"Now I know I'm gonna be sick." Jamie warned. Kiva quickly handed her boyfriend a barf bag, and when he was finished with it, proceeded to toss it out the window.

Megas first response to his opponent's recovery was to throw the limb he was still holding at its former owner. Silver caught the makeshift projectile with both hands, ripped it in two, and then roared like a ferocious animal at its enemy. Lowering itself to all fours, giving it the appearance of an animalistic predator, it began charging like a hungry cheetah down the street towards its prey.

"Okay, this thing can regrow limbs faster than I can eat takeout." Coop said as his enemy rapidly approached. "How do we beat it?"

"I saw a glowing orb-looking thing light up beneath its chest before it regenerated!" Kiva pointed out. "That must be its power source! Aim for that!"

"Got it, and I know just the thing to use!"

From the outside, Megas' cavity opened up and out protruded a large, battleship-shaped cannon, a loud hum emanating from it as it charged up.

"Wait for my signal, Coop!" Kiva ordered.

"Okay." The pilot acknowledged, retrieving an electronic pistol used for playing shooter games and using it to aim Megas' cannon. "Say when."

Megas stood completely still as Silver drew closer and closer while Coops hands began to shake, his grip on the toy gun weakening do to the buildup of sweat.

"Kiva?" He asked worriedly, his eyes never leaving the approaching adversary.

"Wait." Kiva responded.

Once it felt it was close enough, Silver leaped at its prey with another loud roar, bringing its chest into perfect alignment with Megas' cannon.

"NOW!"

Coop pulled the trigger.

The cannon unleashed its payload at point blank, resulting in a bright blue explosion in the middle of town that overshadowed Silver's roar of anguish. When the smoke was clear enough, Megas could be seen still standing there, completely unfazed as his cannon retracted back into his body.

All three passengers were coughing fiercely until Jamie finally managed to speak. "Did we get it?"

Coop narrowed his eyes to try and focus through the residual smoke and gasped when he saw the faint, obscured outline of Silver's massive form. As the smoke cleared up, they got a better view of it, starting with the monster's head and shoulder pylons, then its purple unarmored neck, and finally its chest…which was currently torn open, revealing the power core within, now cracked and chipped. Clutching its chest in pain, Silver fell to its knees and began breathing heavily before collapsing in an unconscious heap.

Megas stood there, still as a statue, before Coop made him jump in the air and click his heels together in triumph.

"Woohoo. I'm back, baby." Coop hollered out the window.

"Good to see a year of abstinence hasn't made you rusty, Coop." Kiva acknowledged with a smile.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Jamie agreed.

"Heheheh, you gotTHE HECK?" The fat pilot stammered, his gaze drawn to Silver's prone form.

Jamie and Kiva did the same and saw Silver vanish in a flash of white light, leaving no trace behind, not even its severed arm.

"Hah, probably ran scared." Jamie said in relief.

"But where did it go?" Kiva wondered aloud.

Coop shrugged. "Eh, we'll figure it out later." He turned the steering while and Megas began walking in the opposite direction of where his opponent used to be. "Right now, I'm in the mood for a milkshake."

"A milkshake?" Kiva deadpanned.

"Yeah, what better way to celebrate Megas getting back in action?" Coop boasted…completely unaware that Megas was about to trip over a large metal beam lying on the ground, sending the giant robot sailing head first into the sole remaining "PoP TV" building in the city.

"Back in action, indeed." Kiva breathed out as she shook her head.

(X)

 **Sherman, IL…**

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

The gathered friends, or more specifically the organic ones, were about to take their first bite of their steak when they were interrupted by the loud voice.

"What in tarnation?" General Steel exclaimed.

"Where did that come from?" Kimmy asked worriedly, Octus placing a hand on her shoulder for comfort.

Solomon slowly rose from his seat, as did Lance. "Prepare ourselves for what, exactly?"

"I don't know," Lance answered, gazing at the fading silver sky. "…but something tells me it isn't good."

"Octus!" They heard Kimmy call out.

Everyone turned to see the human-looking robot as he sat completely still with a blank expression, his eye glowing at lines of code scrolled across them. Kimmy was frantically nudging his shoulder trying to get a reaction out of him, until suddenly, his holographic appearance disappeared, revealing his true self.

"Octus?" Ilana asked, dumbfounded.

"My systems have rebooted." The machine stated as he randomly shifted appearances again, starting with his "Newton" guise, then "Mr. Lunis," and finally back to his original form. "I am no longer restricted to my Newton form."

"But how?" Lance asked.

"My hypothesis is that the dome itself severed my CPU's connection to the vast majority of my systems, including infiltration and combat." The robot stated, his yellow eye flashing with each word spoken. "Now that it's gone I'm back to running at full capacity."

 _KABOOM  
_

The unmistakable sound of a large explosion in the distance grabbed their attention. Looking towards the city, they could see a couple of buildings toppled over with fire spread out all across downtown, the screams of citizens and sirens audible even from this distance.

But through the thick smoke they could see a single, glowing red eye before the fumes parted.

Standing amongst the destruction was a colossal machine humanoid in shape. It was black in color with stylized red flames across its legs, forearms, waist and chest, and a red number 13 stamped on its left shoulder. Twin black "fins" jutted out from its back, and its red helmet featured an elongated horn protruding from the top. The lone red eye within its black visor swiveled from left to right as it scanned the area.

"And not a moment too soon." Steel scowled at the invader.

Suddenly there was a loud screech akin to when a microphone was turned on, and the machine spoke.

"TITAN! C'mon out, I know you're here! I didn't come all this way for nothin'! Show yourself or else I'll reduce this whole city to rubble!" To prove that statement, he raised his hands above his head and generated a large orb of pulsating red energy, almost like a miniature sun. "You have one minute to answer me!"

The group of friends' eyes bugged out, looking to each other with varying expression of worry, but it was only temporary. Lance locked eyes with Ilana and lifted his wrist, revealing his wristband that was now glowing. Ilana nodded and spread her arms wide as her own wristband pulsed with energy. One blinding flash of light later, and the two alien teenagers were ow equipped with their respective Galalunian combat armors, Manus for Lance and Corus for Ilana.

"I almost forgot what this felt like." Ilana stated as she gave her long dormant golden armor a once over.

"Me too, but we'll focus on the nostalgia later. Octus, you ready?" Both teens turned toward their robotic friend to find him holding Kimmy in his large, transparent arms.

"I'm sorry Kimmy, but they need me."

Kimmy gave a small smile and nodded up at him. "I know." She spoke softly as she stood on her tippy toes to plant a light kiss on his yellow eye. "At least now you don't need an excuse. That whole "bathroom" thing was getting old."

"Indeed." Octus agreed as he let her go, turning to address his charges. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Lance and Ilana nodded simultaneously before the former turned towards the two military personnel standing idly by. "Solomon, Steel, you know what to do."

The general and albino nodded, the latter picking up his trenchcoat, hat and glasses and quickly donning them. "We'll mobilize the militia. Keep the citizens away from you and your new friend."

"And maybe get in a few good hits if we're lucky." Steel proclaimed.

"Got it." Lance confirmed. "Octus, go for it!"

Octus spread his arms out as his body began to glow brighter while Galalunian text swirled around him. "ENGAGE SYM-BIONIC TITAN!"

Octus' body then began to enlarge, and when he reached the proper height, beamed Lance and Ilana into his holo-matrix. Once inside, the two teens were removed from their armors as they linked together while Octus' own mechanical components wrapped around them while others were fabricated and expanded before linking together to form the colossal mech-warrior.

The whole process only took about ten to fifteen seconds, and when it was over, Solomon and Steel gazed upward in awe of the giant hero, their minds ecstatic at its return.

"Let's go!" They heard all three person's within Titan shout before they rocketed off into the sky, General Steel having to hold his helmet down to keep it from blowing away while Solomon remained still as a statue.

"Be careful!" Kimmy shouted as they departed.

The flight to downtown was short, as they feared that they had almost reached the one-minute mark and so increased their speed. Upon touching down on the same street as their enemy, they stood tall and proud as collective cheers and shouts of joy at Titan's return emanated from the citizens before Solomon's red-coated militiamen began ushering them away from the danger zone and towards a safer location.

The red and black machine lowered his arms as the energy ball above its head faded away. "Well, well, well; I was worried you wouldn't show up." It chuckled darkly.

"Who are you?" Lance asked.

"The name's Coop, kid. Now," the enemy robot clenched its fists as its red eye glowed brighter. "…ENOUGH TALK!"

"Coop" charged forward, the ground quaking beneath his feet with each step. Titan took up a simple fighting stance, and when his foe was close enough, blocked a punch thrown its way. Reacting quickly, Titan delivered a right cross to its opponent's head, then grabbed the back of its opponent's head and kneed it in the face, following it up with a roundhouse kick that hit it square in the midsection, sending the enemy machine skidding down the street, it's large mechanical feet digging grooves into the pavement.

As Coop stood there hunched over and unmoving, Titan slowly began to walk forward.

"Answer us, buddy!" Ilana demanded. "What do you know about the domes?"

Titan then stopped when its foe began to straighten his posture before jerking its head to the side, almost like it was cracking its neck to relieve pressure.

Coop laughed at their question. "Only that I couldn't wait for them to come down." He slammed his wrist into the palm of his other hand. "I've been waiting years for a good scrap, and I'm gonna get it!"

Four large fins then expanded out of his left forearm before he brought it up and launched it like a missile at Titan. Almost nonchalantly, Titan caught it with its hand just inches from its face."

"Hah. Is that all you…?"

Lance's taunt was cut short when Coop's detached fist exploded in Titan's face, sending it sprawling backwards. As it slowly began to stand, it looked up just in time to receive a right hook from Coop's robot, followed immediately by the enemy mech spinning on its heel and backhanding Titan with his left hand, now restored. Titan staggered, but reacted fast enough to catch Coop's next punch, then a second, leading to the two mechs grappling.

"What the heck is with this guy?" Lance shouted mentally, his teeth grinding from the strain.

"Scans show that he is using minimal amounts of energy in his attacks." Octus stated. "Judging by his attitude, he is likely holding back to prolong this fight as long as he possibly can."

"And the longer we fight the more people will be at risk." Ilana pointed out.

"I do not believe he cares." Octus informed her.

"Then let's make sure he's disappointed!" Lance proclaimed.

To push his enemy away, Titan activated the energy projectors in its palms, damaging Coops hands and forcing the red and black robot to release his hold on the Galalunian war machine. But as Titan prepared another punch, Coop's mech released a beam of fiery orange energy from its own hands, hitting Titan in its chest and pushing it even further down the street. Titan looked down for a moment and brushed the smoldering portion of its torso, but looking back up it saw that Coop had mysteriously vanished.

"Where'd he…?" Ilana started, only to be cut off.

"LEFT!" Octus shouted.

Turning in the direction indicated, Titan saw Coop crash through a building like it wasn't even there and tackle Titan's waist. Rolling with its opponent's momentum, Titan threw its enemy off him, causing him to crash to the ground some distance away.

The two machines stared at each other for a mere moment in silence before Coop broke it.

"Yes, that's it. Show me what you've got!"

"Gladly!" Titan's three occupants shouted at once.

The two mechs rushed toward each other, but before they could make contact, Coop decided to play dirty and surprise his foe with a red optical beam that hit Titan square in its eyes, blinding it. Seizing this opportunity, Coop placed one hand on Titan's head, another on its groin and hoisted it above his head before dropping to one knee and slamming the other robot down on his back, cracking its armor and damaging the servos in its spine. He then shoved Titan into the ground head-first before delivering a roundhouse kick to his opponent's back, sending Titan careening through a few buildings before crashing down onto another street some distance away.

"I believe we need a new strategy." Octus suggested.

"You think?" Lance groaned as Titan slowly pushed itself off the ground.

"I have one." Ilana spoke up.

She had their attention. "What is it?"

"This guy is so desperate for a fight that he keeps coming to us, right?" She pointed out.

"Affirmative." Octus agreed.

"So, what then?" Lance raised an eyebrow.

"So…let him." She said with a grin. "I got an idea."

Coop cracked his robot's knuckles as he slowly walked forward towards his downed enemy. "Is that it? Is that all you got, Titan?"

Titan, who was resting on his knees with his back to Coop, didn't respond, although the latter thought he saw something flash in his enemy's palm, but chalked it up to the sunlight reflecting off it.

"Fine then, have it your way!" Coop huffed before launching himself into the air, intending to slam both his fists down on his enemy.

Little did he know that Octus was tracking his movement to the smallest decimal, and when he descended to a certain height, Titan struck.

"NOW!"

At Ilana's command, Titan spun around and swung widely, the large sword it was concealing cutting through Coop's left arm like butter, severing it at the elbow. Coop's feet touched the ground with a loud "thump," followed immediately after by his arm landing right at his feet. He stared down at it for only a moment before lifting his gaze just in time for Titan to pull its sword back and run him through with it.

Titan's posture relaxed at the sight of his foe hunching over, but kept its grip on its sword firm.

"You're beaten, now talk!" All three pilots demanded.

Titan and its pilots were taken aback when Coop used his sole remaining hand to grab the blade and shove it deeper into his abdomen, forcing Titan to lean in closer until its face was mere inches from his own.

"Hahaha. Not bad." Coop laughed, his voice laced with genuine mirth. "Let's do this again sometime."

One flash of light later and Coop was gone, leaving Titan standing alone in the middle of the wrecked street.

Octus disengaged their transformation and reverted them to their normal selves just as an SUV rolled up and out came Solomon, Steel and Kimmy. The redhead immediately ran up to Octus and embraced him right as he changed back into his Newton form.

"Octus!" She cupped his "face" in her hands. "I saw the whole thing. Are you okay?"

"We are fine, Kimmy." The sentient machine assured her with a smile. "We inflicted enough damage to force him to retreat. He will not be bothering anyone for a while."

Lance looked around at the destruction their little battle caused and frowned. "Wish we inflicted it sooner." He lamented.

He perked up when he felt a sweet kiss get planted on his cheek and turned to see his princess smiling playfully up at him. "I think you performed exceptionally well, my knight." Lance returned her smile and then kissed her on the lips.

He pulled away just in time for Steel to give him a congratulatory slap on his shoulder. "Not bad, maggot." The veteran chuckled. "How's it feel to be back in the saddle?"

Lance rubbed his shoulder and groaned. "It feels sore." Ilana giggled at that.

Solomon stepped forward, his expression stoic, indicating he was all business now. "Good work, all of you. Yes, the property damage was severe and numerous citizens were injured and are now being treated, but there were no deaths. A miracle if I ever saw one."

"What's our next move, sir?" Lance inquired.

"General Steel will coordinate the militia to establish a perimeter around the city; we want to be ready in case Mr. Coop returns. You three will use Titan to clean up the rubble and search for any unlucky civilians we may have missed. As for me? I'll attempt to reestablish communications with the outside world."

The three aliens all looked at each other and nodded. "We won't let you down, Solomon." Ilana proclaimed.

Solomon allowed himself a small grin. "I know you won't. Now move out."

(X)

 **Tokyo 3…**

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

Shinji was just about to begin munching on his second fudgicle when he heard the announcement, causing him to stare up at the ceiling in confusion. Kaworu wasn't even finished with his first popsicle yet when he heard it, and so he mimicked Shinji's response, albeit more calmly. Misato, however, was in the middle of downing her third can of coffee and was so startled that she began choking on her beverage and dropped the can, spilling its contents all over the table.

"Misato, are you okay?" Shinji asked as he reached across the table to offer assistance.

Misato coughed a few more times and pounded her chest, holding up her hand and nodding at her charge until she composed herself. "Damnit." She barked out, taking deep breaths. "What the hell was that?"

"I…I don't know." Shinji answered, but then he heard the sound of wood sliding across the floor next to him and turned to see Kaworu stand up slowly, his gaze fixed upward. "Kaworu?"

The albino didn't answer immediately, but when he did his voice was quiet, almost inaudible. "Something is different."

"Huh? What do you mean? What's different?" Shinji asked as he rose from his seat.

Kaworu remained silent, but before Shinji could ask him again, Misato's cell phone began to ring. She grabbed it, flipped it open, and brought it to the side of her head.

"Katsuragi here, what is it Makoto?"

" _Major, look outside, now!_ "

"What, why?"

" _The dome's coming down._ "

The NERV major's eyes bugged out as she lowered her phone and did as she was told, rushing over to the balcony with Shinji franticly trying to keep up with her. She threw open the sliding door and froze, Shinji joining her by her side a moment later.

"Misato, what's going on?"

Her response was to grab his head and force him to look skyward, and he gasped upon seeing the dome flicker out of existence. "What? But, how?"

Misato could only shake her head. "I don't know." She placed the phone against her ear again. "Makoto, what is this?"

" _We're not sure, Major, but that's not all. Commander Ikari is requesting the presence of the Third Child._ "

She scowled. "What? Why? The EVA's are disabled."

" _Not anymore they aren't. Look, I'm sorry but_ _we'll explain everything when you arrive. Just know that something big is on its way, EVA big. Now hurry! Makoto out._ "

After he hung up, Misato stared at the phone for a moment before closing it and turning to look down at Shinji with a sad and apologetic expression.

"What's wrong?" The teen asked.

Misato took a deep breath and exhaled. The boy wasn't going to like this. "I was just told to bring you to NERV ASAP. They've just detected something massive approaching the city."

His eyes bugged out. "Bu…but…what can I do? I thought the EVA's didn't work anymore."

"Well according to Makoto, now they do." She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Look, I'm sorry Shinji. God, I am so sorry. I never planned for this to happen, but if what I was told is true, you're the only available pilot we have to defend this city, even if most of it is vacant."

Shinji could only hang his head low as his mind tried to come to terms with what was being forced on him. Piloting the Evangelion again was the last thing he wanted to do. He'd gotten accustomed to living a normal-ish life the past year and didn't want it to end so abruptly. Yes, the only people he really associated with were Misato and Kaworu, and occasionally the other NERV staff members when he reported to HQ for scheduled medical exams, but in his opinion is was lightyears better than risking his life to defend the human race against his will so his father would appreciate him.

He was about to argue against it, suggest that maybe Kaworu could do it, but his friend beat him to the punch. "You should go with her, Shinji."

His head snapped in the albino's direction, and saw his friend looking at him with a blank expression that conflicted with his serious tone. Misato took this moment to excuse herself and go get changed, leaving the two teens alone.

Shinji looked away for a moment before speaking. "But, what about you?"

"I am not permitted within the walls of NERV." Kaworu explained as he began slowly walking onto the balcony, stopping next to Shinji and looking down at him. "And with Ms. Sohryu's condition rendering her immobile and Ms. Ayanami outright missing, you are the only one capable of piloting Evangelion Unit-01. You must go."

Shinji lowered his head as his vision became cloudy. "It's not fair." He complained.

He then felt a soft hand on his cheek and looked up to see Kaworu gazing down at him. "Life rarely ever is. Circumstances have a way of affecting how we view ourselves and the world around us, usually in a negative way." He brushed the tears forming in Shinji's eyes away. "But you have always persisted despite the fact. That part of you, the one that continues to fight no matter what obstacles block its path, the thing I admire most about you, has been sleeping long enough. It is time for it to come alive again."

Shinji stared into the crimson eyes of the taller teen…and believed him. "Alright," he breathed out. Then to Kaworu's surprise, Shinji wrapped his arms around his middle in a tight hug, burying his face into his shoulder. "Just…promise me you'll stay safe, alright?"

Kaworu was stunned for only a moment longer before he returned the embrace. "You have my word."

Just then, the door to Misato's bedroom opened and the NERV major stepped out, now wearing her traditional uniform complete with the red jacket. "Are you ready to go, Shin..?" She paused and stared at the scene before her, of Shinji and Kaworu embracing one another in the light of the balcony. "Ahem, um..?"

Shinji gasped when he saw her and slowly pulled away, his cheeks flushed. "Um, yeah, I'm ready." He rubbed his arm nervously.

"Well, alright then. My car is parked outside." She turned to address the other teenager. "Stay safe, Kaworu."

"You too, Ms. Katsuragi." He bid.

Misato nodded at him before turning to Shinji and nodding towards the door. "Let's go."

As she began walking, Shinji cast one last look at Kaworu, who smiled and waved goodbye, a gesture Shinji returned before following Misato out of the apartment. From there, the drive to NERV HQ was a short one, Misato using her phone to coordinate with the other personnel the whole way. He didn't really pay attention, however; he just kept looking out the window at the familiar sights he would often pass when NERV summoned him to fight an Angel, sights he hadn't seen in quite some time.

Eventually, they arrived at their destination, ascending the long escalator before getting into an elevator and taking it up to the bridge which was bustling with activity. Shinji cast a quick glance to the top platform; no sign of his father or Fuyutsuki yet.

Misato marched to where the bridge bunnies were stationed. "I need a status report, guys! What's coming our way?"

"Bringing it up on the screen now, ma'am." Shigeru yelled.

The gigantic monitor flashed to life, and Shinji couldn't help but tilt his head at what was on display. It was a robot, from the looks of it, but not like any robot he'd ever seen: Its torso was spherical with no discernable head save for a thin black visor on the flattened top, and its shoulders were of similar design. Its arms reached down to its knees, but its hands and forearms were very wide and enlarged. Attached to its back were two large cylinders, rocket boosters from the looks of it. The outer armor (mainly its torso, shoulders, forearms, and legs) was painted olive drab while the under armor and hands were silver, and there were also several small yellow lights across its waist and upper arms.

Misato stared at the machine on display. "What the hell is that thing?"

"Scans show it is completely mechanical in nature, sir." Makoto explained. "When the dome vanished it showed up on radar just outside the city and began marching towards us."

"I'm detecting strange energy readings coming off of it, most likely its power source." Maya elaborated. "It doesn't match any known signatures."

Misato fiddled with her jacket. "Has anyone tried contacting it?"

"All attempts to establish communications with it have received no response as of yet." Shigeru answered. "And until it gets further within our sensor grid there isn't much else we can do that doesn't involve weapons."

Misato grit her teeth. "Open a channel and let me try."

The bridge bunnies obliged, typing away on their keyboards. Makoto then gave Misato a thumbs-up, so she cleared her throat and crossed her arms.

"This is Major Misato Katsuragi of NERV. You are trespassing in restricted territory. If you do not identify yourself or turn back now, we will take it as an act of aggression and respond accordingly. Do you understand?"

There was no response as the machine continued lumbering further into the outskirts of Tokyo-3, crushing small buildings and trees beneath its massive feet.

That was all the answer Misato needed. "Prepare automated defenses. Don't fire unless I say so."

"On it." Shigeru confirmed as he, Makoto and Maya started typing away again. Soon enough, an orange targeting reticle appeared on the screen around the robot. "Defensive batteries 078-088 coming online now. Missiles primed and locked on. Awaiting your signal, ma'am."

Misato nodded at her comrade before turning back to the screen. "Attention, unidentified machine. You are now targeted. Cease and desist or else we will open fire. This is your final warning."

Again no response, just more footsteps.

"Fine then. Missile batteries…FIRE!"

The targeting reticle shifted from orange to red, and before long, the command center watched with baited breath as dozens of missiles appeared along the outer edges of the screen and careened towards their target, getting closer by the second until…

"ENERGY SPIKE!" Maya suddenly shouted.

From the viewscreen, everyone saw as the missiles, when they were just a few hundred feet from their intended target, suddenly stopped cold before careening out of control and crashing into the nearby mountains, detonating harmlessly…with the exception of destroying thousands of acres of trees and wildlife, not to mention the poor empty buildings.

"What the hell just happened!?" Misato yelled. "Was that an AT-Field?"

"No, ma'am." Maya responded. "The machine seems to be generating its own personal gravitational field to defend itself."

"WHAT? How's that even possible?"

"Unknown, but I believe it has something to do with those energy readings Maya detected." Makoto elaborated.

"Do we have anything that can break that sort of shielding?" The major asked franticly.

"Aside from possibly the EVA's, I'm not sure." Shigeru answered from over his shoulder.

"Well, then what ARE you sure about?" Misato shouted, her voice cracking slightly from the stress.

"Major Katsuragi." She heard a masculine voice from behind her.

"WHAT?" She shouted as she spun around to address whoever it was, only to freeze when she looked up and saw Commander Gendo Ikari and Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki standing in their usual spot on the uppermost platform of the CC, the former with his hands folded behind his back. "Oh, forgive me sir. I hadn't realized you were there."

"Irrelevant. I'm ordering you to lower our automated defenses for the time being."

"But, sir, we'll be leaving ourselves wide open. We could at least slow it down."

"You'll only be delaying the inevitable, Major, not to mention wasting the vast majority of our armaments. Disengage and place them on standby. EVA Unit-01 will sortie for this mission."

Misato bit her lip, but obliged. "Yes, sir." She turned back to the bridge bunnies. "Do it, guys."

While the rest of the CC staff went about their work, Gendo finally turned to look down at his son, who was now looking back up at him. Neither said a word at first, letting their glares persist for a few moments before Gendo took the initiative. "Are you prepared to pilot, Third Child?"

' _Wow, that's the most concern you've shown me this entire year.'_ Shinji thought bitterly.

His fingers twitched as he asked the big question that hadn't left his mind yet. "I thought the EVA's didn't work anymore."

"That is no longer the case." Gendo responded without taking his eyes off the boy. "Doctor Akagi!"

The hiss of a door opening drew Shinji's attention to the left where he saw Ritsuko Akagi enter the CC, dressed in her usual lab coat, blue blouse and mini-skirt. Accompanying her were two armed Section Two agents, most likely serving as her escort.

"Ritsuko?" Misato said, flabbergasted.

"Sempai?" Maya whispered, stunned at her mentor's sudden appearance. She wasn't the only one surprised, saying as most of the NERV staff hadn't seen her in person this past year due to her incarceration.

Ristuko turned towards her former friend with a sad expression, but when she looked toward her protégé, she allowed herself a small smile, which Maya returned.

"Doctor Akagi." Gendo interjected. "Explain your findings."

Ristuko's semi-happy expression dropped immediately when she turned to address Shinji. "After the dome vanished, Unit-01's S2 core revived itself, restoring all functionality to the EVA. It is fully prepped and ready to go, it just needs its pilot."

"One of these Section Two agents will escort you directly to the EVA cages, Third Child. Your plugsuit will not be necessary, considering time is short and you've piloted without one on previous occasions. Now go!"

The Section Two agent gestured for Shinji to get a move on, and after one last look at Misato who gave him a "good luck" nod, departed from the CC. He soon found his way back to the elevator, the Agent moving to stand next to him, and after the button was pressed and the doors closed, he remained silent as his thoughts focused on certain NERV staff members as well as Misato, Kaworu and even Asuka. People he'd grown to care about on a certain level this past year, some more than others.

He cast one quick glance up at the stoic Agent standing next to him before facing forward once more.

' _I'm doing this for them.'_ He reminded himself as his hands clenched.

The doors soon opened and he strolled out onto the catwalk in front of the biomechanical war machine he had been separated from the past year. He stood there and stared into its blank armored face for only a few moments, but it felt like hours as memories of all the times he piloted this thing came flooding back.

"It's been a while, huh?" He whispered.

"Get a move on, kid!" The agent demanded from further down the catwalk.

Shinji obliged and began to walk away, completely oblivious to the fact that Unit-01's head silently turned to watch him leave.

The process of starting up the EVA and synching with it took a little longer than he remembered, but eventually, he found himself wearing the old interface headset and riding the giant launching platform to the surface. He breathed deeply, taking in the taste of blood that came with inhaling LCL.

' _Strange.'_ He thought to himself. _'I thought getting back into this thing would make me feel uneasy, but instead it feels…warm. I think I might…like it?'_

Within a minute, Unit-01 and its pilot made it to the surface, specifically a vacant district close to the edge of the outskirts.

His communications blared to life. _"Shinji, you there?"_

He kept his gaze fixed forward. "I am, Misato."

" _Good, now before we start, Ritsuko says your synch ratio just jumped up three percent."_

That surprised him. "It did?"

" _Yep, not sure how but keep it up. You'll need every advantage considering your abstinence."_

"Got it." His grip on the controls tightened. "Now where's the target?"

" _Approximately twenty kilometers north of you…wait. It just jumped!"_

"Jumped?"

" _Yes, it just activated some kind of rocket booster on its back and is closing in on your position fast!"_

He lifted his gaze upward and scanned the horizon. Off in the distance, he could see a small speck arcing into the sky before angling downward towards his position, a trail of smoke left in its wake as it grew larger and larger the closer it got.

"I see it!"

" _Roger that Shinji. We're sending you a pallet rifle. Look to your left!"_ The major ordered.

Unit-01's head turned in the appropriate direction just in time for a large section of the street to rise up, revealing a building-sized weapons compartment containing the aforementioned rifle. Unit-01 quickly grabbed ahold of it and aimed turned to aim it skyward, only to see his target seconds away from landing right on top of him.

" _Move Shinji!"_

Shifting the controls, Shinji made Unit-01 somersault just in the nick of time as the enemy robot came crashing down on his previous position, catering the ground and destroying several buildings on impact.

Unit-01 found cover behind the tallest building it could, its weapon gripped firmly. "Damnit." The pilot cursed. "That thing's a lot faster than it looks."

" _Shinji, be careful."_ Misato's spoke over the comm. _"Now that it's moved deeper into our sensor grid we've detected multiple weapon systems installed within it, enough to equip an entire army."_

Unit-01 dared a peek around the edge of its cover and watched as the other machine lumbered about searching for it, more buildings getting crushed beneath its massive feet.

" _For that reason we've designated it as Massive Automated Gun, or MAG for short."_

"Very creative." He deadpanned.

" _Just be mindful of its gravity shield. Missiles didn't work against it so you may have to get in close if the rifle doesn't…"_

Suddenly MAG did a complete 180 and turned directly to where Unit-01 was hiding. It brought its massive arms up, pointing them directly at the biomech, before its hands began to shift and its palms opened up, revealing a large gatling gun extending out of each opening which started spinning as they prepared to unleash their payload.

"Shit!" Shinji shouted.

Unit-01 sprinted out of cover just as MAG opened fire, the hailstorm of bullets pulverizing Shinji's cover into powder along with dozens of other buildings as it pursued the fleeing biomech. Not breaking his stride, Shinji aimed his rifle and pulled the trigger, unloading the entire magazine. Several bullets did manage to make contact, creating small dents on MAG's outer armor, but the rest of them missed their mark when the robot extended its gravity field once more, deflecting the rapid-fire projectiles.

Before Shinji knew it his rifle was empty, indicated by the dull "click" of the trigger when he pulled on it repeatedly. "Aw, c'mon!"

He quickly discarded it and dropped Unit-01 to its belly to avoid another barrage of bullets before barrel rolling some distance away, remaining in that position to avoid being detected until he could come up with a plan.

"I need help, Misato!"

" _Shinji, it's Ritsuko."_ He was momentarily surprised by her voice. _"I've discovered something."_

"What is it?"

" _Whatever device is generating that gravity field to protect it isn't active 24/7."_

"Meaning what, exactly?" He could feel the steady rumbles of MAG's footfalls; no doubt the robot was looking for him again.

" _Meaning, if you can move fast enough, you should be able to damage it at close range before it can defend itself."_

"Got it." Unit-01's left shoulder pauldron opened and Shinji retrieved his EVA's prog-knife from it. Slowly rising to one knee, he braced himself as he waited for MAG to show itself, then he would strike. "Standing by…"

The rumbling of his enemy's steps grew more intense until finally, MAG appeared from around a building about six hundred feet down the street.

"NOW!"

Launching itself down the street, Unit-01 grabbed the hilt of the prog-knife with both hands and swung upward, successfully embedding it deep into the underside of MAG's left shoulder, the wound spewing a shower of sparks.

"I got it!" Shinji proclaimed.

Suddenly MAG, seemingly undeterred from its injury, brought its right fist back, and when it swung, a smaller rocket booster on its elbow flared to life, increasing the propulsion of its punch. The impact of the right hook resounded like a thunderclap upon making contact with Unit-01's head. White hot pain explode across the left side of Shinji's face, making him cry out.

"ARGH!" He grit his teeth to try and numb the pain, managing to reduce it to a rhythmic throb.

But when he opened his eyes again, he saw MAG pull both its hand back to strike. Guessing at what was coming next, the Third Child brought up both of Unit-01's arms to block his foe's attack. When both fists made contact, he grunted from the strain of the blow, but soon felt the sensation of two large hands constricting around his wrists.

MAG grabbed hold of Unit-01's wrists like a vice and stretched the biomech's arms out to its sides, leaving it wide open for its next attack. Shinji looked on in shock as his opponent's torso opened up to reveal dozens of smaller gatling guns stored inside before said guns fired away, making Shinji moan in agony as his chest and stomach were riddled with the sensation of a million rapid-fire bee stings.

The pain he felt when piloting the Evangelion wasn't something he missed the past year, and he wanted it to stop.

Pushing through the pain, he saw his EVA's prog-knife still embedded in MAG's shoulder, and with a cry of strength, kicked Unit-01's foot up and shoved the knife deeper into the metal. He repeated the process once, twice, three times until finally, the prog-knife cut through the shoulder's mechanical joint and severed the entire arm, causing it to fall to the ground. Before Shinji could celebrate, however, MAG's rocket pack activated once more and it tackled Unit-01 to the ground before standing back up and planting it's robotic boot on its opponent's neck, pinning it. Shinji grabbed his throat as he tried to fight off the chocking pressure on his windpipe, but then his eyes widened in terror when MAG took aim at his face with a massive cannon that extended from its remaining arm, a canon whose barrel began to glow from within.

"NO!" The Third Child shouted, and using the Evangelion's flexibility to its fullest, wrapped all four of its limbs around MAG's remaining arm and redirected the cannon so it was pointing directly at its owner right before it fired, blowing a massive hole open on the front of its torso.

That was enough for MAG's body to go limp and fall backwards in a heap of charred and torn metal while smoke billowed out of its new opening. Unit-01 stood up moments later, its pilot panting heavily.

"Is that it?" He asked to the comm. "Did I get it?"

" _You sure did, Shinji."_ Misato congratulated him, her voice betraying no amount of pride. _"Just stay put for now and we'll…wait…what did you say?"_

"Misato?"

There was a short pause before Misato spoke up again, and Shinji didn't like what he heard. _"Shinji, MAG's gravity generator is still operational!"_

"What?" He asked in a shaky tone. "How?"

" _We don't know but the readings are off the charts_." Ritsuko chimed in. _"The damage it sustained must've made it unstable."_

Shinji's gaze remained fixed on MAG's corpse, so to speak, before he noticed something rising out of the gaping hole on the green robot's front. "Wait, I'm seeing something."

" _We're seeing it, too."_ Misato confirmed. _"It looks like…a man?"_

The entry plug's visual feed zoomed in on the figure rising from the wreckage of the machine surrounding it, and when the smoke cleared, Misato's question was answered.

The figure was indeed a man, caucasian and a muscular one at that. His outfit was bizarre, consisting of a blue form-fitting suit with two white belts around his stomach, as well as silver-colored boots, gloves and shoulder pads. His black hair and graying beard were also exceptionally long.

Shinji could only stare in silence as the man took a deep breath through his nostrils and let out a relieved sigh. "Ah, freedom at last."

" _Shinji."_ Ritsuko spoke in a calm, yet awestruck tone. _"It's him; he was the device. The gravitational energies are being generated by him."_

" _Proceed with caution, Shinji."_ Misato commanded.

Shinji complied, and as he was tempted to find out who or what this person was, switched on the Evangelion's external speaker. "Um, hello? Who are you?"

The man grinned darkly at the gigantic purple and green creature before him. "I am called Graviton. I was imprisoned within this machine you see before you as a power source, but you set me free." His smile faded, replaced with a scowl that sent chills up Shinji's spine. "For that," His eyes suddenly illuminated with bright blue light as he thrust his hand forward. "…I will give you a swift end!"

" _Another spike!"_ Ritsuko shouted. _"Look out, Shinji!"_

But Shinji could do nothing as what felt like the weight of the entire world came crashing down on him, forcing his Evangelion to face-plant into the ground while all the buildings surrounding it were flattened. The pressure keeping him down was so great he couldn't even move an inch, and he soon found it harder to breathe while his very bones ached from the strain. The interior of the entry plug flashed red as the alarm blared, the LCL bubbling from the stress the EVA was suffering through.

" _Shinji? Shinji!"_ Misato yelled franticly.

" _The armor's integrity has just entered the red zone_!" Ritsuko shouted. _"He'll be crushed to death in mere minutes if we don't do something!"_

Just then Shinji heard a voice he never expected would interject at a time like this: that of his father.

" _Reactivate all automated defenses in the vicinity."_

" _Sir?"_ He heard Misato ask.

" _Target this "Graviton" individual and open fire. We cannot afford to lose EVA Unit-01."_

" _But what about the Third Child?"_

" _He'll survive. Now do it."_

"… _Yes, sir."_ There was a pause, indicating to Shinji that Misato was hesitant to go through with such an order. _"I'm sorry, Shinji."_

Shinji managed to lift his head ever so slightly and saw Graviton still floating in mid-air…seemingly oblivious to the fact that dozens of missiles were careening towards him from behind. Unfortunately, just like with MAG, they never reached their target as Graviton spun around and threw out his other hand, stopping the missiles cold. In the process, however, his hold on Unit-01 weakened slightly, allowing its pilot to lift his head further.

"I will not be insulted by such petty attempts to destroy me!" With a flick of his wrist, he sent the missiles sailing across the landscape where they crashed into the very silos that launched them, obliterating NERV's local defensive capabilities.

Shinji could just barely make out the explosions in the distance, but judging from the bright orange flares and quaking of the earth, he knew they were massive.

' _He could destroy everything, everyone.'_ He scowled at the thought. _'Misato, Kaworu, Asuka…he'll kill them all.'_

From the outside, Unit-01's eyes glowed a brilliant white.

' _I won't let you.'_

Then its metallic jaws snapped open as it pushed itself up to one knee.

"I! WON'T! LET! YOU!"

Unfortunately for Graviton, he wasn't paying attention to what was unfolding behind him, instead focusing on the destruction he had just wrought. "Once I am finished with you all, my jailer will be next, and then I'll get my due reward: all will bow before…"

He was interrupted by a beastly growl coming from behind him, and he slowly turned to come face-to-face with the glowing eyes and razor sharp teeth of a berserk Evangelion Unit-01, which roared loudly in his face.

Panic began to fill the governor of gravity. "What? How? Only one person was ever strong enough to break my hold!"

Unit-01 growled in response and raised both its hands, only instead of trying to crush the crazed villain, it formed an orange sphere of energy around him that gradually grew smaller the closer it brought its hands together. Graviton spread his arms and legs out and tried to push back against the crushing force.

" _Shinji, do you read?"_ Misato said. _"What's the EVA doing, Ritsuko?"_

" _It's generating an Anti-AT Field and folding it in on the gravitational space. It's trying to create a mini-singularity that'll force Graviton to collapse on himself!"_

Sweat poured down Graviton's face while he grit his teeth and fought back with all his might. "No, stop this!"

Unit-01 paid him no heed, only staring at him with its mouth hanging open as the space between its hands grew smaller and smaller.

Graviton's joints gave out and he was forced into a disjointed fetal position, his scowl replaced with an expression of complete fear as he felt his bones begin to break. "STOP!"

Unit-01's hands were only a few feet apart now, and Graviton screamed in agony as he felt the very same pressure he thought he had complete control over being forced on him from all sides a thousand fold, shrinking him down to a size that was even smaller than an atom.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

The EVA's hands came together at last in a loud metallic "clap," and when they parted once more, the only thing between them was open air where Graviton used to be. With its enemy disposed of, Unit-01 took this opportunity to power down and collapse backward, the light in its eyes going out.

From within the darkened entry plug, Shinji breathed deeply and slowly as exhaustion swiftly overtook him, his eyelids drooping shut. He could vaguely hear Misato's fading voice over the comm shouting orders and promising him that help was on the way, but he didn't really care; the only thing that mattered to him was that those he cared about were safe once more.

That thought brought a small smile to his face, but seconds before he lost consciousness, he could've sworn that he felt the sensation of a warm hand gently caressing his cheek, followed by the sound of a woman whispering softly to him.

' _I missed you.'_

Then it all went black.

 **Author's Note** :

Hoo boy, three fights in one chapter. This was a doozy. How'd I do?

As always, please leave a comment/review telling me what you thought. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next time: The Lanterns shine bright and take flight when an intergalactic tyrant casts his shadow over Coast City. Stay tuned!


	5. Back in Business Part 4

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

The Ex-Lanterns had just finished their meal and were in the process of cleaning up after themselves when they heard the booming voice.

"What the crot was that?" Kilowog exclaimed, his head turning from left to right to pinpoint the source.

"I am not sure." Razer spoke, maintaining his calm composure.

"Prepare ourselves for what?" Hal asked nobody in particular as Carol moved to stand closer to him.

But Aya strangely remained transfixed on the silver sky. "I believe the answer will present itself in due time."

"What do you mean?" Carol asked the technorganic woman.

Aya pointed skyward. "Observe."

Following her suggestion, the rest of the group lifted their gaze to the dome to see it collapsing rapidly, revealing something massive on the other side that slowly moved to block out the sun. It was a massive vessel of some sort, dirty gray in color and covered with several glowing orange sections across the hull. The front half split into two prongs where red lightning arched in between, while the back half featured a small spire jutting out from the top with several antennae around the base and two claw-like appendages protruding around the back where a red orb was pulsing in between them.

The whole scenario reminded Hal and Carol of a curtain parting at the start of a theater performance, especially when the vessel's shadow darkened the whole district.

"Aya, give me a reading." Hal commanded in a stoic tone.

Her eyes flashed blue for a moment before dimming. "That vessel does not match any known records in my database."

"Yeah, and it don't look friendly, either." Kilowog scowled at the potential invader.

"We must move quickly." Razer pressed. "Even without our rings we must…"

The space around them suddenly got brighter with a few all too familiar lights.

Hal looked down and saw a familiar green glow coming from his pocket. "It can't be." He whispered.

Reaching into said pocket with two fingers, he retrieved his power ring, shining brightly amidst the darkened rooftop. He stared at it completely awestruck, almost completely unaware of the fact that the rest of his friends had done the same with their own rings.

"Well, this is unexpected." Carol said as she stared at her violet ring resting in her palm.

"Haha, you won't hear me complain!" Kilowog exclaimed as he clutched his ring tightly.

Razer remained silent, turning his ring from side to side as he studied it. Whatever he was going to say was interrupted when he turned to observe his love as her skin glowed green. "Aya?"

"My own abilities have been restored, as well." She said as she stared at her hands.

"But why now? After all this time?" Carol asked, looking to Hal for an answer.

"I bet is that it has something to do with our new guest." He returned to glare at the massive ship in the sky. Taking a leap of faith, he slowly slid his ring onto his middle finger. "Ring, power check."

"POWER LEVELS CURRENTLY AT 13.5 PERCENT." The voice of the ring's AI stated.

"More than enough to send a transmission." Hal nodded before looking back to the ship and bringing his ring closer to his mouth. "This is Green Lantern Hal Jordan of Sector 2814. Please identify yourself."

Silence was his only response.

"That's never a good sign, Hal." Kilowog reminded his friend as he equipped his own ring.

Just then they noticed a little black speck come off the side the ship and angle down toward their direction.

"Is that a fighter craft?" Razer asked.

"I don't think so." Kilowog answered, his eyes squinting to try and get a better look. "It almost looks like a…"

The speck then picked up speed until it was just over the buildings and sped towards them, and once it was close enough, it stopped and hovered about ten feet in the air above their heads.

It was a bipedal creature with long arms and dressed head to toe in some kind of purple armor with a silver and black chestpiece, matching boots, light-purple pads covering his central joints, a large belt, and a black helmet with four glowing pink central lines across the front. He simply floated there via jetpack and stared down at them silently.

"…person." Kilowog finished.

"This creature also does not match my database." Aya explained.

"What?" Hal was shocked. "That can't be right. You're supposed to have records of every sentient race in the universe, Aya."

"Even the Guardians can sometimes let things slip through the cracks." Razer pointed out, never once averting his gaze from the new arrival.

"Correct." Aya agreed. "I'm also detecting several weapons concealed with his person."

"Not the first time a tourist came to Coast City packing heat." Carol indicated as she crossed her arms.

Hal then stepped forward, the floating extraterrestrial turning to look directly at him. "Okay buddy, in case you didn't get my last message, my name is Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. I'll cut right to the chase: these are my friends, you're ship is parked above my home, and we'd like to know what gives."

The "tourist" stared for a long moment…before two small, pale-skinned and three-fingered appendages jutted out of his shoulders, each carrying a small gun, before his two larger arms quickly drew two more guns of same design, only larger, from his back. But instead of firing on the Lanterns, he angled forward and propelled himself across the rooftops while using his guns to fire on everything that passed below him, blasting apart rooftops, destroying cars and melting street signs as he flew overhead.

"You don't give a crap then? Okay." Hal sighed.

"I have tapped into the city's communications network." Aya revealed. "Local law enforcement and other emergency responders are being mobilized as we speak."

"Which means we're already late for work." Kilowog said, presenting his ring hand for them all to see.

Hal gave a knowing nod. "Aya, can you retrieve our lanterns from the Interceptor?"

"One moment please." She requested as she closed her eyes in concentration.

Spreading her arms out, her whole body began to glow green and blue as she levitated slightly off the ground. Energy swirled around her body, glowing brighter and brighter with each second, until it faded way at last, revealing her slim figure now adorned in her unique white armor. Floating back to the ground, she held out her hands, palms upward, and four power batteries materialized in the air in front of her which floated over to their respective owners, who took them in their hands.

When she finally opened her eyes, she turned to see Razer staring at her with a stunned expression, his cheeks having a light red tint to them, but upon noticing she was watching, forced a cough and slowly slid his ring onto his finger, making her smile knowingly.

Hal and Kilowog gripped the handles of their batteries tightly and raised them up to eye-level. A nod was all they gave one another as they prepared for what came next, and after placing their rings against their power source, spoke as one.

" _In brightest day, in blackest night,_

 _No evil shall escape our sight._

 _Let those who worship evil's might,_

 _Beware our power, Green Lantern's light!"_

The energy within the batteries funneled into their rings, spreading all over their bodies until their clothes were replaced by their Green Lantern uniforms. They adjusted their shoulders and flexed their fingers to get a feel for their old outfits, grinning at the familiar sensation.

But time was of the essence, so they needed to proceed.

"Carol?" Hal asked his girlfriend. "Are you ready for this?"

"Of course, it's just been a while." She took a deep, calming breath. "Okay, here I go, but don't laugh if I mess this up."

She took a deep, calming breath and mimicked the Green Lanterns' previous actions.

" _For hearts long lost and full of fright,_

 _For those alone in blackest night._

 _Accept our ring and join our fight,_

 _Love conquers all with violet light!"_

Her body was engulfed in pink energy, granting her the (somewhat revealing) uniform of a Star Sapphire: a pink vest with a large white collar, matching thigh-high boots and shoulder length gloves, and a pink mask around her eyes.

Hal silently thanked the Star Sapphires for their choice of clothing design, but he'd have to ogle later.

"Razer." He spoke with urgency to his pale-skinned friend.

Razer only nodded silently, his eyes narrowing as he raised both his battery and ring and gave his respective oath.

" _In fearful day, in raging night,_

 _With strong hearts full, our souls ignite._

 _When all seems lost in the war of light,_

 _Look to the stars, for hope burns bright!"_

When the blue light died down, he was wearing an outfit similar to his old Red Lantern one, the only differences being the change of color and the lack of protruding spikes coming out of his headdress, shoulder pads, boots and gauntlets.

The symbols of all their respective corps shined brightly as all their batteries dematerialized and returned to storage in subspace.

"POWER LEVELS AT 100 PERCENT." All their rings said simultaneously.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do." Hal started, but before he could begin rattling off his plan, he was cut off.

A portal of some sort suddenly appeared behind Razer, and out stepped a pale, skull-faced man wearing a black and red cloak and carrying a strange wooden staff in one hand. Before Razer could react, the hooded man placed his free hand on his shoulder and pulled him back through the portal which then vanished.

"Razer!" Aya called out, too late to save him from being taken.

"My ring can't locate him." Kilowog revealed.

"Okay then, as I was saying, here's what we're gonna do." Hal was doing his best to maintain a cool head. "Aya, you'll have to face Mr. Fourarms on your own for now; you're the fastest. Carol, Kilowog, I need you both on search and rescue: keep the civilians safe and out of harm's way."

"And what about you?" Carol asked worriedly.

Hal used his thumb to point as the ship still floating in the sky. "I'm gonna have a talk with the captain of that ship. Keep your rings scanning for any signs of Razer or whoever took him."

"Affirmative." Aya agreed.

"Got it." Carol stated. "Just be careful, alright?"

"I will, I promise." Hal said as he smiled at her

"Then let's get a move on, slowpokes!" Kilowog proclaimed.

Hal nodded. "Move out, Lanterns!"

Their bodies illuminated by their light, the four Lanterns spread out in all directions, eager to get back into the swing of things and find their missing friend.

(X)

 **Downtown…**

Carol and Kilowog touched down on the street several blocks away from Hal's apartment. All around them they could see the devastation caused by the Tourist's little flyby; fires had broken out in practically every other building for the next dozen or so blocks, cars were reduced to burning husks, and police officers were doing their best to get the frightened citizens somewhere safe while ambulances transported the wounded to the nearest hospital.

"We were too late." Kilowog snarled.

"Not yet." Carol stated. "Help me scan the buildings for more survivors or wounded and get them out of there. You take one side and I'll take the other."

"Got it."

Kilowog began floating passed the buildings on the right side of the street, Carol on the left. Both held their rings out as their light swept over the damaged structures, and thankfully didn't find any injured or helpless citizens for almost five minutes; the police did their job well.

It was only when his ring beeped that Kilowog stopped in front of a ruined toy store, the front wall caved in. "I got someone here!" He called out to Carol, who quickly made her way over to him. "It's small, probably a child."

"Well what're we waiting for?" Carol asked as she flew into the store, Kilowog right behind her.

The interior was a mess, broken glass and damaged toys littered the dusty floor next to overturned and/or collapsed shelves, and the few remaining lights overheads flickered constantly. Both Lanterns coughed to clear their throats of the dust that permeated the air, but they ignored it as they had more pressing concerns.

"Hey kid, you alright?" The Bolovaxian called out.

"We're not here to hurt you." Carol added. "We're here to make sure you're alright take you someplace safe."

Their eyes scanned the aisles for a few more moments before they saw movement. Stepping out from behind a display of action figures was a thin and scrawny boy with shoulder-length black hair, dark brown eyes and pale skin. His garb consisted of a worn black t-shirt with matching arm bands and knee-length boots along with brown cargo shorts and a padlock necklace.

He had a look of trepidation on his face, so Carol got down on one knees and held out her hand. "What's your name, young man?"

"K…Kevin." Came the quiet reply.

"Hello Kevin, I'm Carol and this is my friend Kilowog." She gestured to the large alien next to her, who waved awkwardly. "We're here to help you."

Slowly, Kevin approached Carol, allowing her to get a better look at him: she counted her lucky stars upon discovering that he had no visible injuries.

When he stopped in front of her, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Let's get you someplace safe, okay?"

"W…wait." The boy stammered. "Aren't you guys the Lanterns I keep hearing about?"

"Heh, got that right kid." Kilowog crossed his arms proudly while Carol rolled her eyes.

Kevin bit his lip and averted his gaze for a moment. "Can I…can I see yours please? I…I may not get another chance."

Carol glanced at Kilowog who merely shrugged. "Sure kid, but after that you gotta promise to let us take you someplace safe, alright?"

Kevin nodded enthusiastically. Carol then stood up so that Kilowog could lean down instead. Summoning his power battery from subspace, he grabbed the handle and held it out for Kevin to see. The boy stared at it in awe before slowly lifting his hand, silently asking Kilowog if he could touch it.

The Bolovaxian smirked. "Go on little fella, but then we gotta move quick."

Kevin slowly placed his hand on the smooth green surface of the battery before him and let it sit there for a moment…and then quickly grabbed it with his other hand and tightened his grip. Carol looked on in shock as the most maniacal grin she had ever seen on a child formed on Kevin's face that sent a chill down her spine.

Kilowog also began to sense something wasn't right. "Hey Kev, what're ya...?"

"WARNING: BATTERY ENERGY LEVELS COMPROMISED." His ring spoke.

Upon hearing that, he tried to pull his battery away, but Kevin's grip held strong for someone of his size. Then Kilowog's frustration turned into horror as the boy's eyes began to glow with the same green energy as what the battery contained. Next, his skin began to take on the same green metallic sheen as the battery's metal, starting at his fingertips and spreading across the rest of his body. And to cap his transformation off, his muscles expanded as he grew a few feet taller, putting him somewhere between Carol and Kilowog height-wise.

When he finally let go of the lantern, he laughed at their frightened expressions. "Gotcha!"

Then he thrust his hand forward and released a wave of green energy that blasted them out of the store and back into the street where they landed hard on their backs. Kevin flew out after them (literally, as he had used his stolen energy to create a pair of glowing green batwings on his back), and touched down on the ruined sidewalk.

Carol groaned as she got back to her feet. "Ugh, looks like somebody wasn't disciplined enough."

Kilowog checked his battery again. "Ring, status on power battery."

"SELF-REPAIR PROTOCOLS INITIATED. BATTERY UNAVAILABLE FOR USE."

"What? When will the repairs be complete?"

"UNCERTAIN."

He shook his head in annoyance. "Great."

"Aw, what's the matter, little piggy?" Kevin mocked. "Did I break your toy?"

Kilowog growled at the mutated child. "Carol, keep looking for survivors. I'll handle this snot-nosed brat."

She stared at him. "Are you sure? You saw it yourself: he can absorb our energy."

The Bolovaxian's confidence didn't wane. "Heh, well then," He linked his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. "…let's see if he can absorb a fist."

"You do know he's just a kid right?" The Star Sapphire reminded him.

"Well, yeah." He shrugged. "But not a natural one."

"Just be careful, okay?" At his nod, Carol took off across the rooftops, leaving her fellow lantern alone with his opponent.

"Shame she left." Kevin said as he created elongated claw constructs on each of his hands. "She won't get to see me carve you into bacon."

Kilowog only huffed in response and created his signature hammer construct, grasping it tightly with both hands. "We'll see about that, ya little poozer."

(X)

 **Some distance away…**

After 1.76 minutes of searching, Aya had located her target heading towards the skyline of Coast City and was currently chasing him through the gaps between the buildings, although keeping up with him had proven a little more difficult than she originally assessed, given his maneuvering capabilities.

For a moment, her adversary was dead in her sights, albeit swerving from left to right, before he did something she had yet to predict. Rather that make a turn in between a pair of office buildings on his left like she expected, he changed course four seconds early and went through the window of the first building. Believing she could cut him off, she willed herself to fly faster around the building, hoping to stop him when he came out the other side, but as she floated outside the window she predicted he'd fly out of, nothing happened.

Until a small missile broke through the glass and exploded against her chest, sending her tumbling through the sir and crashing onto the roof of the building across the street.

Wincing at the pain in her shoulder as she stood up, she barely had time to detect her target's presence before he started shooting at her with all of his weapons, forcing her to throw up a shield for protection against the onslaught of lasers and missiles being thrown at her.

' _If I can hack into his suit's systems, I can possibly shut them down.'_ She thought. _'But that will require close proximity, near-physical contact at least. I must wait for an opening.'_

But her target didn't show any signs of slowing down his barrage any time soon; in fact, he only seems to get more aggressive now that he had her pinned.

' _Waiting is no longer an option, it seems.'_ She concluded before a thought struck her. _'Disassembly, then.'_

Shifting her concentration ever so slightly, she willed her left shoulder pad to detach from her body, where, in the span of a couple seconds, propelled itself through the hailstorm of weapons fire until it reached the target's back. From there, it sprouted several tentacle-like appendages that latched onto the target's jetpack, its circuitry turning a luminescent green as Aya took control.

' _Connection established. Deactivating propulsion systems.'_

Half a second later, the target's jetpack shut down, forcing him to land on the rooftop, confused. Aya took this opportunity to blast him square in his face, destroying his helmet and revealing the hideous, robotic-eyed gray-yellow creature beneath.

Said creature snarled at her before tackling her to the ground and attempting to strangle her, while at the same time unveiling what looked like scissors attached to long cable that swiped at her face, one of them leaving a cut across her cheek, making her wince in pain and growl in frustration as her skin began to glow once more.

"ENOUGH!"

She released the built up energy in a massive pulse of green energy, sending the target flailing backwards and landing head-first, knocking him out cold.

Standing straight and breathing deeply, Aya retrieved her detached shoulder pad and placed in back in its appropriate place. She then trailed a finger across her injured cheek and observed the bioluminescent blue blood it picked up, before she reabsorbed it back into her blood stream and closed the wound.

"It is at times like these I wish I could no longer feel physical pain." She joked dryly. Then, remembering her other, more important concern, looked skyward and sent out a message.

"Razer, where are you? Can you hear me?"

(X)

 **Unknown…**

The first thing Razer noticed as he regained consciousness was that he was surrounded by the thickest fog he'd ever seen, so thick in fact that the light from his ring couldn't penetrate it, so with nothing available to give him his bearings, he lifted his ring and spoke into it.

"Lanterns, do you read? I have been transported to some kind of…empty space." No response. "Jordan? Kilowog?" Still nothing. "Aya, are you there?" Silence was all he received, making him sigh and lower his hand.

"No one can hear you from this place."

Razer turned to see the man who had transported him away from his friends step through the fog. He was a human, tall and lanky with pale skin, leather trousers fastened by three belts around his middle, leather bindings around his feet, forearms and hands, a black cloak with red trim covering his head and stretching down to his knees but left his bare chest exposed. His right arm featured a strange tattoo while his face was decorated to resemble a skull, and in his right hand he held a wooden staff with an avian skull on top.

Razer's face remained stoic as he studied his kidnapper. "I take it that you are the one who brought me here?"

"Indeed I am." The skull-faced human revealed, remaining still as a statue.

"For what purpose, might I ask?" The Blue Lantern remained calm despite his fingers twitching.

Just then, the fog around them began to part, and Razer found himself standing in his least favorite place in all of the universe: his ruined and destroyed house on his home planet of Volkreg, ravaged by a global war.

The place where he found his wife Ilana dead, murdered by Atrocitus.

He forced down the spike of anger that crawled its way to the surface, looking to the human in front of him whose staff was now glowing as his cloak billowed in a strong gust of wind that had suddenly picked up.

"To earn my reward!"

Pointing his staff forward, he fire a blast of yellow energy at the Volkregian, who put up a shield construct for protection. The force of the blast pushed him upward until he was several dozen feet above his house, where he gazed down at the human as he levitated higher and higher into the air until he reached the same height as Razer.

"That was but a taste of my power."

Razer just scoffed. "I'm not impressed. Now tell me your name and who you work for!" He demanded as he pointed his ring at his foe.

The human only chuckled darkly. "My name is Hex, Lantern, and that is all I feel like conveying at this time."

Hex then performed a sweeping motion with his hand, and the next thing Razer felt was the sting of being hit with several lightning bolts falling from the cloudy skies overhead. He raised his fists above his head and surrounded himself with a bubble shield, grinding his teeth from the strain. Hex just laughed at the Lantern's predicament and increased the voltage, succeeding in making Razer grunt from the stress. The Blue Lantern needed to deal with this man and find a way back to his friends, back to Aya, so he began formulating a plan as his enemy cackled in amusement.

"Not long now." Hex boasted. "You will be the first to kneel before me; Hex, Supreme Sorcerer of the realm."

"We shall see." Razer muttered.

Channeling a significant portion of his power into his ring, he threw his arms out and expanded his bubble shield, pushing the lightning strikes back to a safe distance. He then followed it up with launching a massive orb of blue energy into the stormy sky, where it detonated and pushed the clouds back with the resulting explosion, revealing the clear orange sky overhead.

Hex stared at Razer, who glared right back at him.

"Bringing me here was a mistake. Maybe you sought to emotionally hinder me by confronting me with my past; I can only guess." The Volkregian said with a shrug.

He then started to drift across the air, edging closer and closer to Hex, who reacted by conjuring three fireballs and launching them at Razer from three different angles. Razer merely raised his ring again and fire three small bursts of energy from it, which maneuvered through the air until they collided with the enemy's projectiles, sinking into the burning columns before expanding and dousing them. Hex stared open mouth at the Blue Lantern, but before he could prepare his next attack, Razer sped across the air, stopping right in front of the frightened spell weaver, who jumped back.

"But at the end of the dark path I was set on that day…was a light that brought new hope to my life, and that light is what strengthens me."

Hex grunted and pulled his hand back to throw another spell, only for Razer to grab hold of his wrist and squeeze, stopping him cold.

Razer, his eyes now ablaze with blue energy, leaned in close to his foe's frightened face. "Welcome to your defeat, and I promise it's going to hurt."

With his free hand, he constructed a spiked mace and brought it down upon Hex, sending the sorcerer plummeting to the ground below where he crashed through the broken roof of the house. Razer quickly followed him down, but upon landing in the interior of his former home, found no sign of his enemy.

"Razer."

A soft, all too familiar voice made him do a complete one-eighty…and he saw Ilana standing behind him with a smile on her face…

"Razer, my love. It's been soAAGH!"

…which then twisted in pain as Razer blasted her in the chest, sending her falling onto her back.

"My wife is dead, sorcerer." Razer growled as he walked over to where his foe lay.

Ilana's image faded away like mist, revealing Hex's true self, still holding his staff. When he opened his eyes and saw Razer standing above him, he moved to try and blast him with his staff once more, but Razer was faster, encasing the villain in blue energy, paralyzing him.

"Enough of your tricks." And with a mere thought, his power ring sent a pulse through Hex's brain, knocking the skull-faced man out cold, his whole body going slack.

As Razer lowered his ring, the scenery around him began to shift, and like Hex's disguise, dissolved like mist on a cool spring morning, revealing himself to be in an alley somewhere in the city.

"INCOMING TRANSMISSION." His ring chimed.

" _Razer, where are you? Can you hear me?_ "

Raising his ring hand, he sighed in relief and answered back. "Yes, Aya. I'm here."

" _Thank goodness. Where were you taken?"_

"Not far, although my kidnapper has been dealt with. I'm still within the city and I'll rejoin you shortly."

" _I will send you the coordinates so we can rendezvous with Kilowog."_

"What about Hal and Carol?"

" _Hal was on his way to confront whatever controls that ship. Carol is still busy locating civilians and transporting them to safety."_

He nodded. "Good."

" _Indeed. And it is good to know you are alright."_

He grinned at her concern. "The feeling is mutual, Aya. See you soon. Razer out."

He lowered his ring and looked skyward. He could see the pillars of smoke rising and the blare of police sirens some distance away. He looked back down at Hex and then used his ring to remove his staff from his grasp before depositing the unconscious sorcerer in a nearby waste bin, sealing it shut. Satisfied that his fallen adversary would be immobile for a good long while, Razer surrounded himself in a blue aura and slowly began ascending into the sky, uttering one last jab over his shoulder aimed at his fallen foe along the way.

"Enjoy your reward."

(X)

 **Down the street from the toy store…**

The red van was flattened when the Bolovaxian used it to break his fall, rolling off the crumpled heap and collapsing onto the pavement.

"Ugh, my aching snout." He complained as he slowly rose to his feet, rubbing said facial feature to soothe the pain.

"Kilowog!"

He looked up to see Razer and Aya descending from the sky. "Where you two been?"

"We were busy apprehending our own culprits." Razer explained. "Have you not caught yours yet?"

He sighed and shook his head. "Not yet. Little poozer absorbed a large portion of energy from my power battery and used it against me."

An explosion behind him caught their attention. Kevin was standing there with a cocky grin and a battle axe construct resting on his shoulder.

"Kilowog, I have a theory." Aya spoke up.

"Spit it out." He said, not taking his eyes off the enemy.

"If he stole that energy from your power battery, perhaps you could take it back."

Kilowog's eyes widened. "How?"

"Razer and I will restrain him, then you'll use your ring as a conduit to syphon the energy back into your power battery."

Kilowog shrugged. "Nothing else has worked, so why not?"

"Keep in mind, if he's exposed to Blue Lantern energy, his Green Lantern energy will be magnified." Razer reminded them both. "We'll have to suppress as much of our power as we can so he can't draw strength from either of us."

"Agreed." Aya acknowledged.

All three Lanterns positioned themselves to rush forward at any moment. Kevin's grin widened as he summoned his bat wings again and flew forward.

"Say when, Aya." Kilowog said, clenching his ring hand.

By now Kevin was only a dozen feet away from them, his axe hoisted above his head as he prepared to bring it down upon our heroes. Suddenly, Aya and Razer threw up a barrier, and if Kevin had enough time to think, he probably would've tried to absorb it upon contact, but instead smacked face-first into it and bounced back a few paces, his axe disappearing.

"When." Aya muttered.

Zooming forward, she and Razer got behind Kevin, and after lowering their shields and repressing their energy, each grabbed hold of one of Kevin's arms with all their might.

"Now, Kilowog!" Razer shouted.

Summoning his power battery from subspace and grasping the handle in his left hand, Kilowog rushed forward and pressing his ring to the underside of Kevin's chin.

"Ring, syphon!"

From there, Kevin's eyes widened in horror as his energy was sapped from him, funneling into Kilowog's ring which then directed it back into his power battery, a green line of energy connecting all three parts. The boy's metallic green skin faded away as his stature diminished, soon returning him to his normal height and appearance. When it was over, he gazed down at his hands in shock before looking up at the three aliens surrounding him with fear.

"POWER BATTERY ENERGY LEVELS OPTIMIZED. REPAIR TIME ACCELERATED."

At the ring's update, Kilowog grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Ready for your nap, kid?"

Kevin grunted in anger, but then realized his enemy's shields were still down, causing him to grin. "You wish."

Throwing his hands out, he released a shockwave of electrical energy, zapping Aya and Razer who collapsed in pain. Kilowog took his eyes off the boy for a split second, at which point Kevin used that opportunity to open up a manhole and jump down, disappearing from view.

"Drat!" Kilowog spat as he helped his friends to their feet. "Should we go after him?"

"Not yet." Razer answered as he dusted himself off. "We should regroup with Hal; we've been separated from him for long enough."

"Agreed." Aya said as all three of them looked up at the ship.

"C'mon, you guys worry too much." Kilowog exclaimed. "With all we've been through, Hal can handle whatever that ship can throw at him."

Immediately after he said that, a small section of the ship's portside exploded outward and a glowing green speck came sailing out before it angled towards the ground.

"Does that include being thrown _out_ of the ship?" Razer deadpanned.

(X)

 **Skies above Coast City…**

"This isn't good."

Hal didn't expect anyone to hear him, just like he didn't expect a giant spaceship to appear above his beloved home, or get tossed out from the ship by its captain.

According to his rings scans, save for his head and internal organs, the rest of the captain's body was completely cybernetic, with long, bulging arms whose plating resembled green muscles, large dark-red shoulder pauldrons, even darker torso and leg armor, and the components beneath that resembled synthetic flesh with red veins. The mouth on his squid-like head was covered by some sort of rebreather, giving his voice a mechanical overlay when he spoke his name.

Vilgax.

The name alone didn't concern Hal, nor did the fact that his ring had no files on who Vilgax was or his species, or even the location of his homeworld and space sector.

He was a complete unknown, a rarity amongst Green Lanterns.

THAT was what concerned Hal.

Made even worse by the fact that immediately after introducing himself, Vilgax proceeded to shoulder check Hal through the hull of the ship, leading to his current predicament: Vilgax, having followed him to the exterior of the ship, was now bearing down on him as both were in freefall, the former throwing powerful punches against Hal's shield that only accelerated the Lantern's descent until they both crashed through the roof of a ten story building, passing through every single floor until they reached the lobby, at which point Hal was kicked, _kicked_ , through the front door and sent rolling out into the street.

Hal managed to lift himself to one knee just as Vilgax came stomping out and snarled at his downed enemy. "The most powerful weapon in the universe? How underwhelming."

Hal scowled and spat the dirt from his mouth. "You're just luck I'm rusty, is all."

"What you identify as "rusty," I call "weak." There was a buildup of energy within the servos jutting out of his arms before said limbs expanded, gaining twice their mass at least and amplifying his hulking appearance. "And there is no excuse for such feeble clout."

Hal stood up straight and began the process of determining what type of construct would work best against this new enemy. He knew that he had enough power left in his ring for something big; he'd taken worse hits that that before. But he didn't know what, and his thoughts were constantly laced with worry over the status of his friends.

Well it seemed he had to worry no longer since at that moment Kilowog, Razer and Aya all touched down, forming a circle around Vilgax, surrounding and outnumbering him. Giving Razer a mutual nod, the Blue Lantern then began channeling his energy into the three Green Lanterns, amplifying their power immensely and causing their eyes and bodies to glow with a turquoise, flame-like aura as their power levels exceeded their maximum limit.

"Still think we're so feeble?" Hal mocked.

Vilgax narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, only for tall four Lanterns to point their rings at him before he could do anything.

"This is the kind of power that can destroy whole fleets of starships in one blast, Vilgax. Do you really want to take your chances?"

Vilgax stared for a few more moments before his arms decompressed with a loud hissing noise. Keeping their rings trained on him, the four Lanterns began closing in on him, but he still didn't move.

"This is not a surrender." His voice made them all freeze, expecting him to attack. "This is a warning."

And then, in a flash of light, he was gone, as was his ship, its shadow fading from Coast City. With their enemy gone, the Lanterns released their power boost, allowing their auras to die down and return to normal.

Kilowog was the first to react. "Ring, locate Vilgax and his pals."

"LOCATION OF VILGAX AND HIS ASSOCIATES IS UNKNOWN."

"Ugh, of course."

Just then, Carol touched down several feet away and sprinted into Hal's arms. "Hal, are you okay? I saw the explosion and you falling and assumed…"

"Shh. I'm fine, Carol." He patted her back as he pulled away to look into her eyes. "We all are. How are the citizens?"

"They're fine." She beamed. "I managed to rescue several people, but the police, local fireman, and other emergency responders are handling things perfectly." She then cast a look at the ruined building Hal and Vilgax destroyed in their tussle. "I wish the same could be said of the city itself, however."

"We'll help with the reconstruction, but for now we should probably contact the Guardians. They'll want to know where we've been."

With that declaration, he raised his ring.

"Ring, get me Sayd."

"UNABLE TO COMPLY."

Nobody in the group expected that. "Try again."

"UNABLE TO COMPLY."

"Appa Ali Apsa?"

"UNABLE TO COMPLY."

"How about Lantern Gardner?"

"UNABLE TO COMPLY."

"Ugh, okay then. Get me in touch with any Lantern or Guardian within Guardian Space." He then realized that it would probably be quicker to cover all their bases. "Scratch that. Make in Known Space."

"UNABLE TO COMPLY."

Hal looked to his friends' faces and saw them growing increasingly worried. The implications that nobody within the Green Lantern Corps could be reached bode rather disturbing implications.

"Ring, is there a reason why you can't contact the Guardians or the other Lanterns?"

"GUARDIANS ARE NOT PRESENT IN KNOWN SPACE. ALL ACTIVE LANTERNS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY."

"What's it mean by that?" Carol asked in a worried tone.

Hal clenched his fist. "What exactly do you mean? How may can active Lanterns can you detect?"

"FIVE. LANTERN JORDAN OF SPACE SECTOR 2814, LANTERN KILOWOG OF SPACE SECTOR 674, LANTERN AYA OF SECTOR ZERO, RAZER OF THE BLUE LANTERN CORPS, AND CAROL FERRIS OF THE STAR SAPPHIRES."

Everyone was shocked. Five? The ring could only detect the five of them? Impossible. Unless…

"Are the other Lanterns all deceased?" Hal inquired.

"UNKNOWN. LACK OF VIABLE DATA MEANS NO CONSENSUS CAN BE ACHIEVED."

"This doesn't make any sense!" Kilowog blurted out. "How could all the other Lanterns just disappear like that? If they ain't dead, which they ain't, then where'd they go?"

Hal thought for a moment. Whenever a Green Lantern, or any Lantern for that matter, perished, their ring would automatically seek out another bearer, unless it was destroyed in the process. But Aya would agree that the possibility of every single power ring in the universe being destroyed along with their bearers was astronomical. And the Guardians certainly wouldn't just disband their own Corps while a few of its own members were trapped within the dome.

Razer then spoke up, a thoughtful look on his face. "The ring said it couldn't detect the Guardians or other Lanterns in Known Space, correct?"

They all nodded silently.

"Then what exactly is 'Known Space?'"

Everyone was silent as they looked to Hal Jordan to find out the answer.

Swallowing nervously, he raised his ring once more. "Ring, show me a map of the universe."

A spherical holographic display appeared in the middle of their circle, and the results shocked them: The map displayed millions of stars stretching out into the vast expanse of nothingness, but at the center of it all was a single celestial body, the sun most likely, and one single planet and its moon orbiting around it, earning a gasp from them all.

"This is not our universe." Aya stated.

"Gee, thanks Captain Obvious." Carol joked humorously, her eyes glued to the map.

"You are only half correct in your accusation."

 **Author's Note** :

A bit shorter than the others but I think it turned out alright. What do you think?

As always, please leave a comment/review. Constructive criticism is welcomed, encouraged and appreciated.

Next Time: The Republic Troopers and their Jedi leaders mobilize when they end up on the wrong side of a manhunt. Stay tuned.


	6. Back in Business Part 5

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

Anakin, Obi-Wan, and R2-D2 had just left the mess hall aboard the _Resolution_ and were walking down the adjacent corridor when they heard it, making them stop in their tracks.

"Beep-woo?" R2 asked.

"I don't know R2," Anakin answered, trying to comfort the quivering droid before turning to Obi-Wan. "Master?"

"I am as clueless as you, Anakin, but…" He stopped suddenly, his eyes going wide as he took a deep breath.

Anakin was about to respond when he suddenly felt a powerful, yet all-too-familiar wave of energy course through his body. It was all encompassing and reached deep into the very center of his being, a sensation he had not felt since he and his friends became trapped in this place.

After collecting themselves, master and apprentice took a moment to catch their breath, looking at each other silently until Obi-Wan voiced what they both suspected.

"Could it be?"

Anakin said nothing, instead moving his cloak to the side so that his lightsaber, which was currently attached to his belt, was visible. Without taking his gaze off of it, he focused himself, channeling the power that now flowed through him into his weapon and willed it to obey his command…and it did, detaching itself from his belt and levitating upward until it was level with his chest, where he proceeded to gently grasp it in his robotic hand.

"Our connection to the Force has been restored." He breathed out.

Obi-Wan called his own lightsaber to his hand as well. "Yes, it would appear so."

Suddenly, a voice spoke over the ship's intercom. _"Generals Kenobi and Skywalker, please report to the bridge ASAP!"_

Obi-Wan holstered his saber. "Let's move, my friend."

Anakin nodded. "Come along, R2."

The astromech droid beeped in agreement and kept pace with the Jedi's long strides.

(X)

 _ **Resolution**_ **Bridge…**

The doors slid open and the two friends strolled in, almost running into a passing officer in the process.

The bridge was bustling with activity; officers were running two and fro from one station to another discussing who knows what, shouting orders back and forth, responding to transmissions, it was chaos. But the two friends maintained their composure as they maneuvered past the guards to reach their destination: the holographic projector in the room just before the front section of the bridge where the crew pits were installed.

Obi-Wan's speed picked up as he approached the captain of the _Resolution_ , who was currently eyeballing the transparent blue image on the table. "Captain Dron, report."

Captain Dron, one of the clones who served aboard the ship during its mission to Drongar, spun around and gave a quick salute. "General Kenobi, sir. We've had an unexpected development."

Anakin stepped forward. "What is it?"

Dron turned around to face the hologram again, Anakin and Obi-Wan stepping around the table to get a better look at what was on display: a simple image of the five Star Destroyers they had called home for the past year, along with the numerous AT-TE walkers and Saber-class fighter tanks that formed a perimeter around the landing site, ever vigilant in their duty.

But Obi-Wan noticed one important detail, an absent one at that. "What happened to the dome?"

"It vanished on your way up here, sir," Dron answered, his tone a mixture of both excitement and worry as he pointed at the hologram. "We don't know how or why, but it's gone now. We're free."

"So what's the problem?" Anakin asked.

"The troopers are on edge," Dron explained. "A lot of them are expecting a fight, considering the unexpectedness of it all, so Commander Cody has ordered them all to stand by and wait for further instructions. That's where you two come in."

Obi-Wan stroked his beard and nodded. "Patch me through to Cody."

"Aye, sir." A few button presses later and the clone commander's image appeared on the table, showing him fully dressed in his signature armor.

"Commander Cody reporting."

"This is Kenobi. First, let me commend your efforts in keeping the troops in line, my friend."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, but onto other matters: have you tried contacting the Republic yet?"

"Yes, sir. But we have been unable to form any sort of connection." They could sense the fear growing within him. "No white noise, no static, nothing. It's almost as if there's nothing to connect to."

"Easy there, trooper." The Jedi master assured. "We will find the answers soon enough. Inform your men to be patient; I will address them soon."

Cody gave a salute. "Can do, sir. I'll get right on..." He was interrupted by something happening outside the hologram's peripheral, turning his head towards it. "What did you say?"

"What's going on?" Anakin asked, placing his hands on the edge of the table.

Suddenly Cody's face became shocked. "Sir, we have contacts!"

"Contacts?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes going wide.

"Check your radar, sir. They're out there!"

Anakin prepared to give Cody an order to prepare for battle but stopped short when he felt a familiar sensation in the back of his mind, a low rumble that drew him further into the bridge. The sound of his master and the clone commander talking faded away as he walked passed the crew pits and stopped at the front window at the end of the walkway, staring out at the dark open sky as the feeling of foreboding gnawed at him more and more.

Then he noticed it: a tiny speck coming through a small cloud, one that was rapidly approaching the bridge of the _Resolution_ faster and faster.

"RAISE THE SHIELDS!"

No sooner did he finish speaking that the window shattered and he felt something big and metal crash into him, sending him sprawling onto his back. He quickly got back to his feet and got a good look at the invader.

It appeared to be a droid of some kind, and a big one at that, wearing bulky red and blue armor that appeared extremely fluid aside from the shoulder pads, gauntlets, boots and protective neck piece, almost like it was wearing some sort of suit. It's blank, emotionless silver face featuring glowing red eyes stared back at him, and when it spoke, its mouth merely opened and closed with each syllable like the machine it was.

"NO MAN ESCAPES THE MANHUNTERS."

It then raised its right palm at Anakin and from its center protruded a long silver rod that it gripped with its other hand, and when the tip began to glow yellow, the rumbling in his mind became an earthquake.

"GET DOWN!"

Drawing his lightsaber, he reacted just fast enough to deflect the oncoming attack, deflecting several bolts of yellow blaster fire, a few of them going wild before Anakin managed to angle his blade so the shots would bounce back and strike the machine in the chest and face, doing no damage but making it pause for a brief.

All the time a Jedi needed.

Giving his reflexes a little Force-boost, Anakin quickly threw his lightsaber down the walkway and pierced the droid's chest. By the time it looked down to observe its injury, he had already thrown his hand out and Force-pulled his lightsaber back out as he quickly closed the distance between himself and the droid. Seeing its target approaching, it raised its blaster once more, but the short it fired missed, for Anakin had leaped several feet into the air and swung his lightsaber down as he descended, cutting the droid in two down the middle.

As his foe crumbled before him, Anakin breathed deep and deactivated his lightsaber as Obi-Wan appeared next to him.

"What type of droid is that?" The Jedi Master inquired of his apprentice.

"It called itself a "Manhunter." Could it be a prototype of some sort?"

"Possibly." Obi-Wan stroked his beard again nervously.

"General, we've got incoming!" The captain shouted, drawing their attention back to the other room they came from. "The other ships have reported multiple contacts coming from the north, and they're in a hurry."

"How many?" Anakin called from across the room.

"…At least twenty-five thousand, sir." Dron answered shakily. "Most are the exact same signature as our guest, the rest appear to be some sort of drone, and they're all airborne."

Obi-Wan turned to look back down at the destroyed Manhunter. "That one must've been a scout. Its destruction must've signaled the rest to begin their assault."

"Agreed," Anakin said. "Captain, what's the status of our shields?"

"Coming online now, sir. Passing the seventy-five percent mark."

"And our weapons?"

Captain Dron paused. "They've been deactivated for an entire year, sir; it will take longer to warm them up than the shields did. Same story for all the other ships."

Anakin's fist clenched. "How long?"

"Fifteen to twenty minutes tops."

"Make it so, Captain." Obi-Wan acknowledged, taking charge. "Contact the other ships and tell them to prepare for immediate attack."

Dron nodded. "What's our plan, sir?"

"Tell all the troopers guarding the perimeter to aim their weapons skyward, and for the rest of the soldiers still on the ships to repel any potential boarders."

"Also," Anakin stepped forward. "…we should launch our fighters and use them for air support; they're all we've got for aerial defense until our guns come back online."

Captain Dron saluted. "Yes, sirs. Right away."

As the officers within the bridge set about to accomplish their tasks, Obi-Wan and Anakin turned back to the dark horizon. Way off in the distance, they could see little specks of red light growing ever closer.

Obi-Wan grabbed hold of his own lightsaber and smirked at his fellow Jedi. "Ready to get back to work?"

Anakin grinned right back at him. "Aren't I always?"

(X)

 **The** _ **Prosecutor**_ **…**

Commander Cody was jogging through the ship with a squad of clones following close behind. After receiving orders from the Generals, he knew he couldn't just leave his soldiers standing guard at the perimeter to take the brunt of the enemy assault on their own.

There was no greater dishonor among the clones than leaving your brothers hanging.

So he pressed on through the hallways, his heart thumping with a fierce determination to get to a transport. He soon rounded another corner and came to the large door that would allow him entry into one of the several hanger bays on the starboard side of the ship. The doors opened and he stepped through, immediately making a beeline for the very back where a couple of technicians were busy working overlooking a 74-Z type speeder bike. Upon noticing their CO approaching, they saluted.

"Is this speeder prepped and ready for use?" Cody asked.

"Yes, sir." They both said at once.

"Good." He turned back to address the squad behind him. "Three of you will remain here. The last two will each get on another speeder and come with me to the front lines. Now get a…"

He stopped as his comm crackled to life.

" _Commander Cody, we have a situation!"_

He placed two fingers to the side of his helmet. "What is it, trooper?"

"Sir, initial wave blew right over us, mostly those "Manhunter" droids, but also some drones. They ignored our ground troops and are heading straight for the ships, mainly yours."

"How long do we have?"

"Seconds. Brace yourselves."

Just then the whole hangar bay rumbled, followed by the alarms blaring and then the voice of the ship's computer speaking over the intercom.

"SHIELDS AT 85 PERCENT CHARGE. WEAPON SYSTEMS AT 33 PERCENT CHARGE."

Cody lowered his hand turned back to the troopers. "You five, get into position. We're about to…"

BOOM

An explosion at the far end of the hangar cut off his commands. Looking towards the large blast doors that were currently sealed shut, there was now a massive hole about the size of a troop transport blown out of it. Through said opening came five Manhunters, one by one, followed by two of what appeared to be those drone things he heard about: silver, oval-shaped and a large, singular red eye in the center along with a single gun and glowing red symbol showing on its underside.

The Manhunters proceeded to touch down on the hangar floor, their pole-shaped blasters at the ready. One clone trooper decided to be the brave one and fire on it first, the blue bolts of his rifle barely even scratching it as it turned towards him.

"EMOTION DETECTED."

It fired a few blasts, striking the trooper dead in the chest, his limp body collapsing to the floor.

Cody grit his teeth, raising his rifle and aiming down the sights. "Open fire!"

Any and all troopers in the hangar popped out of cover and fired away, peppering the Manhunters with blue blaster fire, and unlike before, the onslaught of enemy fire seems to push them back as their armor became peppered with burning holes, and after taking enough shots to the head, the red eyes of one darkened as it fell over. The clones also proved to be very agile, ducking and weaving behind cover to avoid the Manhunters' attacks. But the surviving Manhunters and their drone companions were relentless, blasting away at cover until it was molten slag just to get at the troopers hidden behind them, or the drones would simply attack from above, slaughtering any clones unlucky enough to get caught in their crosshairs.

His troopers were wilting away all around him, so Cody got desperate. He unhooked a thermal detonator from his belt, peeking over his cover as he waiting for the right opportunity to use it. When he saw the Manhunter turn its head, its attention being drawn elsewhere, he threw the explosive, succeeded in it being caught by the droid's armor piece surrounding its neck.

When the grenade detonated, it created a small cloud of smoke obscuring the Manhunter's head, but the impact had the unfortunate and undesired side effect of causing its blaster to fire wildly, hitting one of the LAAT gunships on the ceiling, destroying the docking clamps holding it in place at the top of the hangar and causing it to fall, crashing right in front of the same door Cody came through mere minutes ago and obstructing it, preventing both entry and escape.

Cody cursed under his breath, but when he turned back to the Manhunter, the smoke had cleared, revealing a burnt stump where its head used to be, followed by what remained of the machine falling backward, deactivated.

"That's it." He placed his fingers to his helmet again. "Attention, all foot soldiers. Use grenades, explosives and any weapons that can cut deep. Normal blaster fire takes too damn long!"

He then looked up and gasped as he saw one of the drones aiming at his position, forcing him to jump back just as his cover, a small metal crate, was blasted to pieces, forcing him to crawl until he could take cover behind one of the pillars supporting the second level right above him. It was then he felt a sharp pain in his arm and looked down to see that a small piece of shrapnel had pierced his forearm, causing a small amount of blood to leak. He then tried to flex his fingers on that arm but immediately felt a sharp jolt of pain explode across the tips of his fingers to his elbow.

"Blast!" He swore as he allowed his now-useless arm to go limp. Now he couldn't properly handle the controls on the speeder, meaning he wouldn't be able to join his brothers on the front lines. He was stuck.

He then peeked around the side of the pillar and saw the drone slowly getting closer, its singular gun pointing directly at him. He gripped the trigger of his weapons tightly with his left hand and prepared to fire the first shot…

PEWPEWPEWPEW

…before four lances of blue light pierced right through the center of its large eye, the large red optic dimming before the whole drone crashed to the floor. Before Cody could even ask what just happened, four bulky forms landed on the floor in front of him, having vaulted over the railing on the second level once their kill was confirmed and were now in the process of reloading their DC-17m rifles.

Cody instantly recognized the four troopers standing before him, their unique gray armor, each with its own unique color scheme, stood out amongst the white armor of the clones around them, the sight bringing an enormous grin to the clone commander's face.

Backup had arrived.

"Delta Squad, let's clear this hangar!"

Boss looked at the gaping hole on the hangar's blast door, the sunlight pouring through suddenly obstructed as three more of those blasted Manhunter things came flying in, but instead of landing, followed the lead of the last drone and remained stationary in mid-air as they fired on the remaining clone troopers spread all around the interior. Delta Squad reacted accordingly and all took cover behind a large metal crate big enough to protect them all at once from the enemy blaster fire.

Boss needed options to turn the tide in his brothers' favor, and when he looked over to the downed gunship resting somewhat comfortably right-side-up in front of the door, an idea appeared in his head.

"Fixer, do you reckon that gunship is still operational?" He nodded toward the aforementioned vehicle.

Fixer looked to where his squad leader was gesturing and nodded. "It takes more than being dropped on its belly to hinder it, sir."

Just what Boss wanted to hear.

He turned back toward the gunship and pointed at it, its image highlighting green on his HUD. "Man the turret on its port side."

"Yes, sir." Fixer made a quick peek around the corner of his cover before crouch-walking in the direction Boss indicated, stopping every few feet to avoid getting shot, slowly moving into position.

But Boss wasn't finished giving orders yet. He then noticed a small pile of boxes several feet to the right of their current position, an otherwise perfect spot for his hyper lethal friend.

He pointed again, the pile flashing green just like with the gunship. "Prepare for snipe maneuver, commando."

"On it!" Sev replied, somersaulting across the floor until he reached his destination. "Sev, ready to fire!" Resting on one knee, he quickly snapped out of cover and fired a shot, hitting one of the airborne Manhunter's square between the eyes, sending its lifeless body plummeting to the floor.

Boss silently congratulated his squadmate before turning in the opposite direction and pointing at another one of the pillars in the back, the one next to Cody's to be precise. "Anti-armor, mark that position. Go!"

"You got it, Boss!" Scorch was already moving, switching his rifle's sniper mode to his absolute favorite attachment along the way. Once in position he took aim at a Manhunter on the left side of the hangar, angled his weapon upward a little ways, and let the explosive shell fly, the impact creating a gaping hole in the droid's chest, where it was then finished off by a couple of clone troopers. "Scratch one clanker."

One of the airborne Manhunters seemed to detect its comrade going offline as it immediately opened fire on Scorch's position, only for a green beam of energy to sever it in half at the waist. Boss looked over and saw Fixer sitting in the gunship turret blasting away.

"Tango down!"

Boss grinned, switching his rifle to its default blaster mode just as the intercom crackled to life again.

"SHIELDS AT 95 PERCENT CHARGE. WEAPON SYSTEMS AT 66 PERCENT CHARGE."

Boss peeked around the corner at the four remaining Manhunters still within the hangar. "Just a bit longer, Deltas. Keep them busy until the shields reactivate!"

"Brings back memories, don't it?" Sev reminisced as he hit another Manhunter square in the shoulder, wounding it but not bringing it down.

"Good or bad?" Scorch asked as he reloaded his weapon.

"Fun."

"Focus you two!" Fixer chided as he took aim with his turret.

"Fixer's right." Boss acknowledged. "There's only four left for the moment."

"One for each of us." Sev mused.

"Yeah, right." Boss looked over to see a group of three clones sprinting across the hangar toward the nearest Manhunter. "You commandos always gotta steal our thunder, don't ya? Not this time!"

"Trooper, stop!" Boss cried out.

But it was too late. The Manhunter saw them approaching and fired, killing two of the clones rather quickly before the last even reached him, at which point the droid reached out and smothered the clone's helmet with its hand, lifting him off the ground. Then it squeezed, pulping the unfortunate soldier's head into a fine paste of bone and flesh before releasing its grip, letting the newly created corpse fall to the floor.

Boss simply sighed in response to his brothers' unfortunate demise, but then noticed a small fuel canister at the feet of his target. Taking aim with his DC-17m, he fired, igniting the improvised explosive and literally blowing the Manhunter's legs out from under it, and after emptying the rest of his clip into the thing's head, it was down for good.

"SHIELDS AT 100 PERCENT CHARGE."

A low hum reverberated throughout the hangar, most likely across the whole ship as well, as a thick, transparent layer of indigo energy washed over the damaged blast doors. A Manhunter could be seen on the other side of the now sealed opening blasting away at the new obstruction blocking their path, but the shield held strong.

Boss smirked beneath his helmet as he reloaded another clip into his rifle. "Let's wrap this up, Deltas."

The next two minutes were like clockwork for the commandos; their advanced training and comradery came into full effect as they eliminated the three remaining Manhunters with extreme prejudice, Sev with his legendary pinpoint accuracy, Scorch with his love of making things go "boom," Fixer with his calculating mind, and Boss with his leadership.

They were Delta Squad, an entity of its own, as their enemies learned the hard way.

Once their work was done and the three remaining Manhunters were dead, Boss pointed two fingers upward and rotated his wrist, signaling his squad to regroup as he made his way toward the downed commander.

"Commander Cody, are you alright?"

Cody groaned as he got to his feet, keeping his injured arm limp while holding his blaster with the other. "I'll be fine, nothing a little bacta can't fix. Thanks for the assist."

"Nobody attacks a Republic ship while we're around." Sev declared as he and the rest of Delta approached.

"Good work, but we're not done yet. There may still be some stragglers in the other hangars; move onto the next and don't stop until every single one of them are clear of clankers, you hear me?"

"Can do, sir." Scorch acknowledged. "We already cleared out one on our way here. A few more wouldn't hurt."

"Good." Cody then pointed to a door leading to the adjacent hangar bay. "Move out, Delta Squad."

Boss brought the barrel of his rifle to his forehead in a makeshift salute. "Yes sir, right away!"

As Delta Squad filed out of the hangar, Cody dropped his rifle so he could activate his comm again. "Attention all troopers: our shields are back up, but the guns are still charging. If there are any clankers still within your respective ships, mop 'em up and then get your fighters into the air ASAP, and If you have gunships, only take as many as you need to pilot the thing and man its weapons: do not over-encumber yourselves!"

"WEAPON SYSTEMS AT 66 PERCENT CHARGE."

"Keep our enemy at bay until our guns are ready, then stay clear of their line of fire." He then looked over and saw two clones kneeling by one of the fallen brethren. "You two, stop. We'll worry about our dead later. Get those gunships prepped for takeoff, now!"

Reluctantly, the two clones nodded and jogged to another part of the hangar, allowing Cody to focus on his transmission again.

"General Kenobi? Skywalker? Do you read?"

" _We read you, Commander,"_ Anakin answered from the other end.

"Sir, what is your status?"

" _We're outside on the outer hull of the Resolution."_

"What? Outside? What for?"

(X)

 _ **Resolution**_ **Outer Hull…**

"To keep them from cutting their way in!" Anakin answered and he sliced another Manhunter in half with his saber.

If the inside of the ships were bad, the battle taking place outside was much worse. All around the perimeter, the AT-TE walkers were firing volley after volley of cannon blasts into the sky to try and pick off the drones that kept circling around and firing down on them. Distant explosions blaster fire and screams echoed across the landscape to the north, where the ground troopers were no doubt giving their all to halt the advance of the enemy.

Anakin scowled at the sight; he always hated it when people died under his command.

"NO MAN ESCAPES THE MANNNNNNNNN…"

Anakin swerved around, lightsaber ready to strike, only to find his enemy pierced through the chest from behind, the light in its eyes fading as it fell forward to reveal Obi-Wan retracting his own saber from the back of his latest kill.

The Jedi Master looked up and smirked at his apprentice, making Anakin groan.

"Don't say it."

"I wasn't."

"You were going to."

"Possibly."

Anakin couldn't help but grin back, but then he felt another disturbance, the strongest one yet. Obi-Wan could feel it too, and so they both looked in the direction it indicated: the sky. The two Jedi felt a shiver crawl up their backs, an almost overwhelming pressure coming down on them as they felt something approaching from on high.

Something fast.

Something powerful.

Something very, very angry.

"You feel it too, don't you?" Anakin asked his mentor.

"Yes, I do." Obi-Wan answered.

The young Jedi took a deep breath. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Then they saw it. Descending like a falling star was a small figure that was completely engulfed in red light, appearing to head straight for the front lines before altering its course and zooming across the air above the battlefield, seemingly ignoring the ground forces in exchange for the ships itself. It kept traveling until it reached the furthest ship from the _Resolution_ on the other side of the formation, the _Confident Endeavor_ to be precise.

The figure remained stationary above the idle vessel for a brief moment, before doing something that rocked the two Jedi to their cores.

A large lance of red light projected out from it, and in one sweeping motion, it cleaved the Venator-class ship in two from bow to stern, the whole thing erupting in a violent explosion as soon as the Hyperdrive was breached.

Master and apprentice stared in open-mouth horror at the destruction and carnage before them.

Anakin inwardly seethed as he grabbed his communicator. " _Confident Endeavor_ , come in."

Static.

" _Endeavor_ , please!"

More static.

He threw him communicator away in a fit of rage before feeling his master's hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Anakin. Now is not the time to let our anger get the best of us." Anakin turned to him with a shocked expression. "Yes, to say I am…upset, would be putting it very mildly, but remember your teachings: do not attack out of vengeance…"

"…stand firm and defend those who are left." Anakin finished with a nod before fixing his gaze at the new aggressor. He took a deep breath and hooked his lightsaber to his belt, Obi-Wan doing the same. "Let's move."

Channeling the Force through their bodies, the two friends leaped across the massive gap between the _Resolution_ and its next-door neighbor, the _Ashaton_ , and then began sprinting across the outer hull to reach the _Prosecutor_ next, where the glowing red figure had since touched down upon and was remaining still. The exterior of the ship blew by them, as the air beat against their faces from the sheer speed of their augmented footfalls, and they even managed to cut down a few Manhunters unlucky enough to obstruct their path. Upon reaching the edge of its starboard side, performed another Force-leap and cleared the gap, landing firmly upon the massive Acclamator-class vessel.

They ran for a long distance across the portside of the ship until they reached the center-most part of the outer hull, where their newest adversary was waiting for them.

Neither Jedi recognized this creature. It was a tall, muscular bipedal creature, with crimson skin and an almost lizard-like head and elongated chin. His eyes were a bright yellow, and his face featured a massive burn scar on its right side, damaging his cheek enough to show off his gums and razor-sharp teeth. His outfit was a form-fitting black suit with red armor covering his torso, shoulders, forearms and lower legs, and in the center of his chest was the same symbol seen on the bottoms of the drones, albeit white instead of red.

Obi-Wan stepped forward first, Anakin right beside him. "I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, and this is my best friend and apprentice Anakin Skywalker. Might I ask who you are?"

The creature grinned darkly and then raised his right fist, where a glowing red ring was wrapped around his middle finger of his four-clawed hand. "My name is Atrocitus, the Red Lantern." He then opened his hand so he could grasp the handle of a curved, almost fang-shaped sword made of pure red energy that suddenly materialized out of thin air right next to him. With his weapon now in hand, he took up a fighting stance. "And you are my prey."

With a roar of strength, he rushed forward, swinging his blade downward in an overhead strike. The Jedi each leaped in opposite directions and avoided his attack, regrouping behind him and throwing their hands out in a simultaneous Force-push. Atrocitus was sent sailing forwards but managed to force himself to stop tumbling through the air, hovering several feet off the ground as he turned to look back at them.

Obi-Wan and Anakin retrieved their lightsabers and activated them, the master assuming a Form IV: Ataru stance while apprentice went for a Form V: Shien posture, and then charged. Atrocitus, having planted his feet on the cold metal once more, remained still and grinned in anticipation even as his opponents rapidly approached.

When he and his apprentice were about ten feet away, Obi-Wan launched another Force-push, hitting Atrocitus square in the stomach and distracting him long enough for Anakin to perform a front flip and get behind the crimson creature. Obi-Wan then prepared to thrust his saber upward, intending to pierce his foe's torso while Anakin raised his saber above his head intending to cleave one of his opponent's arms off.

But Atrocitus was quicker than they expected, regaining his posture as he grabbed both of Obi-Wan's wrists with one hand, stopping the Jedi's attack cold while using his sword to parry Anakin's attack, turning to lock eyes with the young Jedi while Obi-Wan struggled to pull himself free from his grasp.

Anakin grit his teeth as he pushed back against Atrocitus' blade with his own. "You're going to pay for what you've done."

The Red Lantern chuckled. "Am I now?"

Suddenly his blade changed shape, coiling around Anakin's own sword before Atrocitus yanked it away and then followed it up with another blast from his ring, sending Anakin sailing backward. He then turned to Obi-Wan and delivered a powerful punch to his gut before picking him up and slamming him onto the ground, the latter's lightsaber tumbling away. Obi-Wan then looked up and saw that his enemy had recreated his energy sword and was glaring down at him with murderous intent.

"You call yourselves warriors?" The crimson creature mocked as he raised his sword to bring it down upon the Jedi. "I am not impressed."

"You will be." The voice of his other opponent caught him off guard and before he knew it, Atrocitus felt himself being pulled backward by an invisible force before landing hard on his back. Viewing Anakin from an upside-down angle, he watched as the Jedi lifted his hands above his head and brought down several pieces of debris down on top of the Red Lantern, burying him beneath the charred metal and Manhunter corpses that had fallen out of the sky.

Anakin let his guard down, breathing deeply to bring his anger under control, only to be blown backward by the explosion created by Atrocitus suddenly breaking free, losing his grip on his lightsaber in the process.

Standing tall, the Red Lantern rotated his shoulders as he glared at the incapacitated human before him. "You are more foolish than I thought you were, Jedi. You have hate, you have anger, but you don't use them."

Anakin just glared right back, remaining silent.

Atrocitus just snorted before utilizing his ring to create an energy whip and wrap it around Anakin's legs before proceeding to toss the unfortunate man around like a rag doll, slamming him into the ground repeatedly until he was sure the Jedi was down. Using the whip to drag Anakin's weakened body to himself, Atrocitus looked down at his weakened prey.

"Your rage is boiling within you, and it makes me stronger."

Anakin still didn't say anything, only scowling up at him.

Atrocitus shook his head before sighing and aiming his ring at the human's head. "What a pity. You would've made a fine Red Lantern yourself if you weren't so weak."

"He is not weak." Both Atrocitus and Anakin turned to see Obi-Wan running at them, lightsaber at the ready.

Atrocitus sighed boredom before opening his mouth and releasing a torrent of energy resembling crimson fire from his throat. Obi-Wan stopped and brought up his saber to shield himself, but was unable to resist the searing energy washing over him.

Anakin looked on in horror as his master…no, his brother collapsed to the ground, steam rising from his injured body. From his current angle, he couldn't see the full extent of his master's injuries, but he for sure felt his anger returning in force, recalling the last time he failed to save someone close to himself…and the horrible act he committed afterward. That combined with his frustration over being separated from both the galaxy and his wife for an entire year, in the middle of a war no less, came to ahead, and he silently vowed that he would not let this creature take something he cared about from him.

He then cast a look at Atrocitus' ring…and felt drawn to it. Acting on pure instinct, he quickly reached up and grabbed the ring with his robotic hand, and that's when he felt what the ring contained.

Power.

The power to turn your rage into unlimited energy for you to control.

Power he could use to beat Atrocitus and save his brother.

Power he now craved.

As Anakin stood tall, Atrocitus tried in vain to yank his hand away, only to be struck with terror at the sight of his ring's energy beginning to engulf the human, surrounding him in a red aura as his eyes became ablaze with red energy.

"No." The Red Lantern breathed out. "How is this possible? I am the ring's master; its power is mine to command, not yours."

Glaring into Atrocitus' eyes, Anakin held his free hand out and summoned his lightsaber, and upon touching it, red energy seeped into it before it was activated, revealing a red blade instead of its usual blue one.

"I find your lack of faith disturbing."

He then swung his saber almost casually, and with a single stroke, severed the Red Lantern's ring arm at the elbow.

"YAAAARGH!" Atrocitus cried out, clutching his cauterized stump of an appendage as he fell to one knee, his uniform vanishing into thin air and replaced with a simple gray tunic and pants.

Anakin looked at the severed appendage and dropped it, but slid the ring off in the process and held it gently in his robot hand.

Atrocitus struggled to stand upright. "You…you don't deserve that power." He snarled. "You may know how to control the energy, but you _don't_ know how to control rage. That power is mine and mine alo…"

He stopped when he felt a searing hot blade pierce his back and exit through his chest, staring down at the glowing blue blade now protruding out from where his heart should be. He looked back at Anakin, gurgled a few syllables, and the collapsed as the saber was removed from him.

Obi-Wan sighed in relief before deactivating his saber and looking to Anakin. "That's two you owe me." When Anakin didn't respond, his expression fell. "Anakin?"

Anakin slowly raised his robot hand that held the ring, staring at it. "P…Power. So. Much. Power."

"Anakin, listen to yourself." He clipped his saber to his belt and slowly stepped forward with his hands raised. "That power is wrong, evil. It is driven by hate. If you embrace it, you'll become a monster like he was."

Anakin's hand began to tremble as the ring's light flickered, calling to him.

"Anakin, remember Padme. What would she think if she saw what this power would do to you?

Anakin froze, his eyed going wide. "Padme?" He whispered. He cast one last look at Atrocitus' corpse, then to the ring in his hand, and knew his answer.

"ANAKIN SKYWALKER OF TATOOINE. YOU HAVE GREAT…"

"Silence."

Focusing on the ring, Anakin used the Force to probe it for any weaknesses, small gaps and/or openings that would weaken its integrity, and when he found them, poured as much pressure into them as he could to make those "fault lines" bigger.

"ALERT. STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY COMPROMISED. FAILURE IMMINENT."

Anakin closed his metal fist around the failing ring, using his other hand to support the rest of the arm. He looked to Obi-Wan and spoke through clenched teeth. "Get back!"

Obi-Wan obliged, taking several large steps back as arcs of red lightning emanated from Anakin's fist, the young apprentice himself grunting in pain as the energy buildup got stronger and stronger until finally, the ring exploded in his palm, shattering into dust alongside his robotic hand is a small, but powerful explosion of red light, blinding him for a few seconds as he heard Anakin cry out in pain.

When the light died down, he saw his apprentice lying on the ground. "Anakin."

He rushed over and inspected him closely, only to sigh in relief when he hears a cough followed by Anakin slowly standing back up. "Are you alright?"

Anakin took a deep breath before answering. "Yes." He then raised his right arm and presented the charred remains of his prosthetic with a sigh. "Not again."

Obi-Wan allowed himself a grin, glad that his brother was alright. "We'll get you another one."

Anakin's expression brightened as well. "True, but how many times have _I_ saved _you_ now? Ten?"

Obi-Wan scoffed. "Nine. I told you that business on Cato Neimoidia didn't count."

Both let out a chuckle, but then Obi-Wan's communicator started to beep, so he retrieved and activated it, revealing Commander Cody.

" _General, our weapon systems are finally operational. We're locking onto targets now."_

"Very good, Commander. Fire when ready. We'll meet you on the bridge in a few minutes." He paused. "I'm sorry about the _Endeavor_ and her crew."

Cody let out a long sigh. _"I know sir and thanks. Commander Cody out."_

The hologram faded away and Obi-Wan pocketed the device. The air suddenly became saturated with the hum of the turbolaser mechanisms as they adjusted their sights so they were aiming at the skies above, where swarms of Manhunters and drones were still flying about.

"We should get below deck, it's going to rain very soon." Anakin pointed out. "And I don't mean the natural kind."

"Agreed."

The then began their quick march to the nearest hatch, just as the ship rumbled from the first volley of turbolaser fire.

(X)

 _ **Prosecutor**_ **Bridge, 30 minutes later…**

Anakin, Obi-Wan, R2-D2, Commander Cody, Delta Squad, and Advisor CC-01/425 had all gathered together when the fleet's guns opened fire, their immense accuracy picking off the enemy forces one by one until what remained retreated into the horizon. Now the senior officials of the fleet's leadership were gathered on the upper platform at the back of the bridge to discuss matters while dozens of officers went about their business below.

One such matter, however, was one none of them were looking forward to, but Anakin asked about it anyway.

"How many men did we lose?"

Advisor stepped forward. "The good news is that most of the crew aboard the _Endeavor_ were deployed to the battle, leaving only a couple hundred aboard when it was destroyed. Adding to that our calculations that five clones perished for every Manhunter destroyed puts our estimated losses at just over three thousand."

"Three thousand more than any of us would've liked." Boss lamented, shaking his head.

"Repairs are already underway." Cody spoke up. "We've recalled all our ground forces back to their respective ships to speed things up, but our supplies are vastly limited; we may only be able to make minimum repairs at least, moderate at best with what we've got."

"If I may, Cody?" Obi-Wan asked. "I would like to suggest assigning a large number of troopers to retrieve their fallen brothers from the _Endeavor's_ wreckage, and once that is complete, utilize said wreckage to improve the quality of repairs being made to the rest of the ships."

Cody put a hand to his chin in thought, then nodded. "Alright, I'll make it so."

"Thank you. Now, what about our communications?"

The clone commander sighed. "Same story as before sir, all our attempts to send a transmission offworld have been met with absolutely no response."

Anakin crossed his arms in frustration. "On all channels?"

"Yes sir, it's like I said: there seems to be nothing out there."

"Ooh, ominous." Scorch joked to try and lighten the mood, earning him glares from his squadmates.

Anakin paid him no heed. "What about the hyperdrive?"

"Still deactivated," Advisor stated. "Even if we cleared orbit, we'd never be able to travel to another system. All our attempts to rectify this have failed as of late."

"Keep trying, Advisor." Obi-Wan encouraged. "Just be patient."

R2-D2 then strolled through until he was in the center of the group. "Wheep-beepboopbeepboop."

Anakin's eyes widened. "He says that he may have something. Show us, R2."

The astromech's projector activated, generating a large map-like picture, the fleet at the center of it, and two points of interest, one far to the east, the other to the west. R2 rattled off a quick explanation to Anakin.

"He says that he detected these two settlements using long-range scanners. Large cities, from the looks of it."

"Has he tried contacting either of them?" Cody asked.

"Whoop-whoop. Beepdeepbeepdeepbeepdeep." R2 answered.

"Not yet." Anakin translated. "And considering we were just attacked and have no idea where we even are, he felt discretion was in order, and I agree."

"So what's the plan?" Sev asked.

"According to R2, there is a unique energy signature here at this city to the west." He pointed to the aforementioned spot on the map.

"It could be where those Manhunters originated from." Fixer thought aloud.

"That's one possibility." Anakin turned to Obi-Wan. "We should investigate."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Reconnaissance?"

His apprentice nodded as he turned back to the map. "A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention and gather the intelligence we need while we recuperate."

"And I've got the perfect team for you, sir." Advisor proclaimed before turning to Delta Squad. "You up for it, Deltas?"

Boss nodded. "Affirmative."

Advisor returned the gesture. "Then get down to the armory and restock, clean your guns and armor if you have to, and await further orders."

"Roger that." Delta-38 walked past his squadmates, heading for the ramp that would take them to the exit on the lower level. "Let's go, Deltas."

As the rest of the commandos followed suit, Scorch let out a quiet sigh. "Can we stop by the mess hall on the way there? Scraping clankers works up an appetite, you know."

As the commandos departed, the remaining leaders looked back to the map. "What about the one to the east? What is its significance?" Cody asked the two Jedi.

Without saying a word, Obo-Wan and Anakin closed their eyes and cleared their minds, opening themselves up to the Force so it could reveal the answers for them, and when it did, their eyes shot open in surprise.

"There is a strong dark side presence there," Obi-Wan revealed.

"A familiar one, at that," Anakin added, pausing as he came to a decision. "I'll check it out."

"Are you sure?" Obi-Wan inquired, his concern evident in both his face and tone of voice. "I wouldn't want you to have to face the likes of Dooku alone."

Anakin offered a comforting smile. "Fear not, master. I know better than that to engage the likes of him on my own. Like Delta Squad's mission, this will be reconnaissance; I will not engage the enemy unless I have no choice."

Obi-Wan regarded his pupil for a moment before smiling and placing his hand on his shoulder. "Then I wish you the best of luck, my friend. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you as well, Obi-Wan."

 **Author's Note** :

Another shorter one, and yes, I know I axed Atrocitus kind of swiftly, but to be honest he's small potatoes compared to what's coming later.

As always, please leave a comment/review if you wish. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next Time: It will be the part I've waited for, I won't have to wait to write it anymore!


	7. Back in Business Part 6

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

Everyone within the dorm room had varying reactions to the booming voice that suddenly interrupted their relaxation time: Ruby dropped the cookie she was about to put in her mouth, along with the whole plate in her lap, the sweet confections toppling to the floor and making a little mess. Weiss was lying on her bottom bunk calmly petting a sleeping Zwei napping on her belly, only to jump and send the poor canine falling to the floor below. Blake was reading a book while using Yang's chest as a makeshift pillow as the blonde held her close and nuzzled her scalp, only to cringe when Yang accidentally squeezed her a little too tight.

"My cookies!"

"Oh no! Zwei, are you alright?"

"Oof."

"Sorry."

Ruby watched as Zwei picked himself up, shook his head, and barked up at Weiss, indicating he was alright and quelling the heiress' fears as Blake dropped her book and then turned to pout at Yang, who offered a sheepish smile in return. She then looked down at her cookies and frowned, before she remembered something that Uncle Qrow taught her: the five second rule, so she picked up her plate and set about retrieving her fallen sweets, and in no time at all, had refilled her plate and set in on the nearby desk.

Placing her hands on her hips and admiring her work, she turned around to face the rest of her team, only to find them all staring at her with varying degrees of shock. "Guys, what's the matter?"

"Ruby," Yang began. "…how'd you do that?"

Ruby tilted her head. "Pick up cookies?"

"No, you dunce." Weiss spoke up. "She means how'd you do it so fast?"

Now Ruby was even more confused. "What do you mean? How fast was I going?"

The other three girls all pointed to the floor, drawing Ruby's attention to it. At first, all she saw was Zwei licking up the stray crumbs that littered the carpet, but when she looked closely, she saw something else that made her gasp: a small trail of red roses starting at her and Weiss' bunk beds that ended where she was currently standing, which implied only one thing.

As said rose petals dissolved into nothingness, she looked back to her teammates and gave voice to what her mind concluded. "My Semblance is back!" She squeed.

Weiss lifted her hand and focused on it, and was rewarded with an ice-blue light flickering across her skin. "It's not just our Semblances; our Aura has been fully restored, it seems."

Blake and Yang shared a look before the former activated her Semblance as well, leaping out of Yang's arms but leaving a copy of herself behind for Yang to keep holding onto before it disappeared into thin air a few moments later.

"Aww." Yang whined, sad that she lost her snuggle buddy and receiving a playful smirk from Blake in response.

A million different thoughts were going through Ruby's head about what they could do now that they had their Aura's back, but before she could say any of them, she heard her scroll start to ring. She looked up to her bunk where she remembered leaving it, and thankfully Weiss was kind enough to retrieve it and toss it to her.

The leader of Team RWBY nodded in thanks before pressing the "answer" key on the screen and was immediately greeted by the picture of her beloved uncle, and to this day she was still thankful he came to Vale before the dome came down. "Uncle Qrow?"

"Hey, Pipsqueak." He greeted. "Listen, can you do me a favor and look outside, please?"

"Yeah, sure."

She looked up and saw that Blake was already way ahead of her, stepping over to the curtains and throwing them open and revealing the dome slowly retreating across the sky until it was no more.

"What?" Weiss shouted in surprise.

"How?" Blake added.

Ruby looked back down at her scroll. "Uncle?"

"I know, Ruby." His tone became serious. "Everyone in Vale can see it. Is your Aura back too?"

"Uh huh."

"Good, then get changed and spread the word for everyone to meet at the Tower. Ozpin's got one of his speeches prepped in case anyone thinks about doing anything rash."

Ruby nodded enthusiastically. "Can do, Uncle Qrow!"

"See ya in a few."

Ruby nodded and then shut off her scroll just as the school's intercom came online and relayed a message using the unmistakable voice of Glynda Goodwitch. _"All students please report to Beacon Tower. Don't forget to bring your weapons and equipment."_

Ruby straightened her posture and puffed out her chest. "Alright Team RWBY, you heard 'em: get your butts moving!"

"Bark!" Ruby looked down to see Zwei sitting at her feet, head tilted as he whined.

"Yes Zwei, you can come to if you want." She agreed with a shake of her head.

"You seem overly excited." Blake observed. "More so than usual."

"She's just overcompensating for the fact that she won't get to eat her favorite food until later." Yang explained.

Ruby's eyes narrowed in frustration as she was reminded of that fact. "We'll see about that!" She then turned around to face the desk.

Weiss put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean by…wait…Ruby?! Stop eating them, you dolt! We've got more important things to do!"

As the heiress struggled to pry her leader away from the baked goods, Blake and Yang went about undressing themselves to change into their combat attire. The cat faunus was in the process of removing her robe, the soft fabric having just fallen far enough to reveal her bare back…

"Mee-yow."

…when she heard her partner utter a teasing remark from behind her, making her face go red as she quickly covered herself before turning to look over her shoulder and see Yang waggling her eyebrows. Blake gave her an annoyed look, grabbed her change of clothes and then walked into the bathroom, making sure to hide her flattered grin as best she could.

When the door closed, Yang, who actually _had_ noticed her partner's expression, took a deep breath and stretched her back in an overly exaggerated manner. "Never gets old."

(X)

 **Beacon Tower…**

After changing their clothes and equipping their weapons, Team RWBY joined up with Team JNPR, CRDL and the other students of their dorm and made their way across campus, chatting about what the Headmaster wanted them all to gather for along the way and even after they arrived at their destination. Team CFVY showed up a couple minutes later as more and more students filed in, a large crowd forming at the base of the CCT as they all waited for Ozpin to come out and address them all.

"What do you guys think the problem is?" Jaune asked.

"We have no idea." Ruby answered, her and her team standing right next to Jaune's. "But apparently it was big enough that my Uncle contacted me before the announcement was even made."

"The statistics indicate that something is definitely amiss if all the students were summoned at once." Ren pointed out.

"Whatever it is, bring it on, I say!" Nora proclaimed enthusiastically, playfully punching Ren's shoulder. "I'm bored with smashing trees."

Jaune shook his head. "Guys, c'mon. It's been a whole year since any of us used our Auras." He let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm just…I'm worried we might not be prepared enough."

He then felt the familiar sensation of Pyrrha taking his hand in hers, followed by her planting a kiss on his cheek, and so he turned to gaze into her mesmerizing green eyes, and instantly became lost in them. Then she smiled, and as always, any negative feelings coursing through him instantly subsided.

"We'll be okay, Jaune." She whispered to him.

He smiled right back and squeezed her hand tighter. "I believe you."

Ruby giggled at how adorable her friends were acting, but then she frowned upon noticing Nora staring at Ren with a rather sad look without him noticing, but before she could ask what was wrong, she heard someone approaching from behind and turned to see none other than her blithe, bionic best pal from Atlas approaching.

"Penny!"

The android's smile grew even wider as she picked up her pace. "Ruby!"

Ruby opened up her arms in preparation to receive a hug, not a high speed "glomp" that sent both her and Penny tumbling to the ground. "Whyyyyy?" She groaned in agony.

Penny paid no mind to her friend's discomfort and quickly got back to her feet. "Ruby, it is so great to see you again. How have you been the past two weeks?"

Ruby got up a lot slower than she did and dusted herself off. "Fine, just hanging with the girls and doing what we can to keep busy."

"That's very good to hear." The android then looked away for a moment, Ruby following her gaze to see another girl approaching. She had dark skin, blue eyes, short, very dark blue hair and a small gold marking on her forehead. Her outfit was a simple gray button-down shirt, a blue combat skirt and matching beret, fingerless elbow-length black gloves, gray thigh-high stockings, black shoes, and a silver wristwatch on her left hand. "Oh my, I almost forgot. Ruby, this is my partner Ciel."

Said newcomer bowed in greeting. "Ciel Soleil, Atlas Academy."

Ruby noted mentally that the girl's outfit combined with how she carried herself was a good enough indication of where she hailed from, but she filed that away to make room for her own greeting. "Hi, I'm Rub…"

"Ruby Rose." Ciel interrupted. "16. Hails from Patch. Leader of Team RWBY. Status: Questionable."

Ruby blinked. "…Sooooo, how come I've never seen you before now?"

"I've been extremely busy helping General Ironwood maintain order within this kingdom the past year." The young Atlesian replied.

Penny leaned in close to whisper in Ruby's ear. "She only takes time off when she's ordered to."

Ruby giggled at that until another thought struck her. "Wait, if she's your partner, how come you were all by yourself when we first met, and every time after that until we all got trapped in here?"

Penny rubbed her neck in embarrassment, but Ciel spoke for her. "Penny has the unfortunate tenacity of letting her curiosity get the better of her, as I'm sure you've already seen."

"Yeah, I have." Ruby nodded.

Ciel looked at her wristwatch, then back to her partner. "We should move onto our next location now, Penny. We don't want to keep the General waiting."

Penny nodded, giving Ruby a quick hug. "Goodbye Ruby, I'll make sure to see you sooner rather than later."

Ruby smiled up at her. "Bye Penny, don't be a stranger." She kept watching as the two girls strode off, only to be caught off guard when she felt someone begin ruffling her hair.

"Looks like Atlas has the right opinion of you, Little Miss Questionable."

Ruby turned around and had to crane her neck to look her Uncle in the face. "Like you're any better."

The two shared a laugh, drawing the attention of Yang who was busy chatting with Team JNPR up until that point. "Hey, Uncle Qrow."

"Hey, Firecracker." The dusty old crow greeted as he fist-bumped the blonde brawler. "You girl's been behavin' when I'm not around, right?

"Well, I have." Yang boasted. "I don't know about Ruby, however."

Her younger sister responded by blowing a raspberry at her.

But before they could continue teasing each other, the loud screech of a microphone being activated drew their attention, and that of the entire crowd, to the steps leading up to the front entrance of the CCT. Glynda was already standing up there on the left side with her arms crossed, while Ironwood stood on the right with his hands folded behind his back, the perfect picture of military discipline.

And in between both of them, cane in hand and tapping the microphone with his finger to test it, was Ozpin.

"Why aren't you up there with them?" Ruby asked her Uncle.

Qrow scoffed. "You know how I feel about spotlights."

Immediately after their attention shifted back to the Headmaster, he began speaking.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you all for coming on such short notice." He then gestured to the clear sky above. "For those of you wondering, no, we have no knowledge of who made the announcement for the whole kingdom to "prepare itself" for whatever reason. However, as you can see, the dome has receded under mysterious circumstances; we are no longer confined to the cage that has contained this great kingdom for the past year."

He then let out a deep sigh. "But that is where the good news stops, I'm afraid."

Murmurs began to spread amongst the crowd, Ruby looking back and forth between her friends and Uncle until Ozpin resumed.

"As it stands, we have been unable to contact the other three kingdoms with the CCT." The majority of the crowd gasped. "The tower itself is fully operational, as far as we know, but all our attempts to reach Atlas, Vacuo and Mistral have been met with silence. Why? We cannot say, but considering how long we were trapped in here, there's no telling what could've occurred to sever our communications with the rest of the world. And so for this reason, the vast quantity of unknowns we now face, that General Ironwood, Ms. Goodwitch and myself have unanimously agreed to a single course of action."

The Headmaster nodded at Ironwood, who approached the mic while Ozpin himself stepped aside. "Thank you, Ozpin. Now, the reason why you were all asked to bring your weapons and equipment with you is simple: your respective teams are going to be divided into three separate divisions tasked with scouting the land beyond our borders. The first, led by Ms. Goodwitch, will scout the north, Professor Port will lead his group eastward, and Professor Ooblek…

" **Doctor** Ooblek!" Said teacher shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

"…Doctor Ooblek will take his group down south. You will keep traveling until you discover anything unusual, whatever it may be, at which point you'll report back to either myself or Ozpin and then…"

BEEPBEEP

Just then his scroll came to life and relayed a partially garbled message to him from within his coat pocket. _"…Commander Blue calling General Ironwood, this is a priority one hail! Please respond!"_

"One moment, please." Ironwood told the crowd before turning away from it and bringing his scroll to his face, whispering his response. "What is it, Commander?"

" _Sir, we've been engaged within the Agricultural District!_ "

The General didn't like the sound of that. "Engaged? By the Grimm?"

" _No, sir. By some sort of…machines. They came from the south and just started marching into the Agricultural District; we didn't know they were there until after the dome receded. The Upper Class District is reporting a similar situation, and our sensors show that a large number of these things have broken off and are circling around to attack Beacon directly."_

The General's eyes widened at that bit of bad news. "Can you hold?"

" _Negative. Their numbers are vast and they are heavily armed, we need reinforce…INCOMMING!"_

The line went dead just as a faint "boom" sound echoed in the distance, everyone in the crowd turning towards the south where smoke was rising into the sky. Ironwood glanced at Ozpin, silently requesting permission to take the initiative and do what needed to be done.

The Headmaster granted it.

Ironwood approached the microphone once more. "Settle down, everyone; there has been a development. Yes, we are under attack, so our plans are going to change. Instead of scouting, you all will be holding the line against machines from an unknown origin that are invading from the north, east and south. They've already breached the perimeter; your mission will be to ensure they don't get any further than that. Most of you will be deployed to the city proper, the rest will stay here and defend Beacon."

Ozpin then stepped forward once more. "I know it has been some time since you've all experienced a true challenge, but the time has come to embrace your duties as huntsmen and huntresses once more. Remember your training, trust your teammates, and together we will win this day."

"You are dismissed."

Ironwood then spoke a command into his scroll, and a few seconds later the sound of spinning turbines filled the air as well over a dozen Bullhead transport ships descended onto the open area surrounding the CCT. Ruby looked on as fellow huntsmen and huntresses began piling in up to two teams at a time before they were lifted off, their chosen vehicle carrying them either to the northern or southern districts of the city, Teams JNPR and CFVY leaving before hers did. She also noticed Zwei scamper off to join Doctor Ooblek, following the hyperactive teacher as he began walking back towards the central buildings of the campus.

She looked back up to her uncle. "Are you coming with us?"

Qrow opened his mouth to respond, but Ozpin cut him off. "Qrow, a word please."

His shoulders slumped. "Guess not. Sorry kid."

"Aww." Ruby whined.

"Hey, you'll still do fine." He grinned with a wink.

She smiled back. "I know."

They shared a quick fist bump before he started walking away. "Catch ya later, kid."

"See ya." She waved goodbye.

"Ruby, c'mon." The sound of Weiss calling her directed her attention toward the last Bullhead that the rest of her team was already boarding. "This is the only one left. Let's get going."

"Right." She scrambled across the pavement and leapt onto the transport just as it began to take off. The bay doors closed and she braced herself against the interior. "You girls ready for this?"

Yang gripped the railing above her head for support. "You know it, little sis!"

Weiss gave a little huff. "Of course we are. As if you even need to ask."

Blake frowned. "Guys, this is serious. Jaune had a point: we haven't been on an actual mission in a long while and we don't know anything about what we're facing other than they're machines of some kind. We need to stay on our toes and…and…"

She trailed off as Yang, who was standing right next to Blake, used her free hand to begin scratching behind her girlfriend's cat ears. Whatever Blake was about to say died in her throat as her body went rigid from the tingling sensation spreading throughout her body from Yang's ministrations, and after a few more seconds, she visibly relaxed and leaned into the blonde brawler's touch, closing her eyes as she let out a low purr.

"Shhhh." Yang soothed. "We'll be alright, Pretty Kitty; don't you worry."

Ruby smiled warmly at her sister's affection for the cat faunus before focusing on one of the cameras within the compartment. She remembered one of Weiss' lessons that the pilots could use them to communicate with their passengers, so she gave it a shot.

"How close are we to the fighting?"

" _Just a couple more miles then I'll drop you off on...wait…We've been targeted!"_

"What?!" Shouted all the members of Team RWBY. The red warning lights within the compartment came on as the proximity alarms blared, making them all wince.

" _Missile incoming! It's got a lock! Brace for impact!"_

Ruby knew she had to act fast. "Everybody hold on!"

BOOM

(X)

 **Commercial District…**

" _We're coming in. Get ready!"_

Coco released her grip on the railing above her so she could adjust her shades, making sure they were properly secured before her hand returned to its previous position. "Roger that."

She could still see her teammates through the Bullhead's dark interior as they waited patiently for their deployment, each of them preparing for the coming battle in their own way: Yatsuhashi was gipping the railing as well while his other hand rested over his chest, his eyes closed as he breathed deeply to center himself mentally. Fox leaned up against the wall with his scarred arms crossed as his blank white eyes stared at the floor, no doubt focusing his hearing on the chaos outside to get an idea of what to expect when they touched down.

And Velvet? Well, Coco couldn't help but grin at how the rabbit faunus bounced on the balls of her feet and shook her hands nervously while breathing deeply, her anxiety clearly visible to her friends. Reaching over with her free arm, Coco wrapped it around Velvet's waist and pulled her close.

Leaning down, she spoke softly into one of the smaller girl's human ears. "Don't worry, Bun-Bun. We'll all be right next to you, just like always."

Velvet sighed and leaned into her lover's touch. "I know."

"You'll do fine, and I won't let anything happen to you. If I did, Yatsuhashi would be sad, which would then make us _all_ sad, and we can't have that now, can we?"

That got a chuckle out of the faunus. "Not one bit."

Coco then kissed her on the cheek. "So let's go kick some ass then, shall we?"

Velvet turned so she could give her leader a quick peck on the lips before leaning back and then wiggling her nose cutely. "Let's."

Suddenly, they felt the Bullhead rumble as something struck its outer hull before the interior lights shifted from white to green.

" _Green light, standby."_ The pilot announced.

Coco and Velvet gave each other a nod before the latter stepped away. Yatsuhashi brought himself out of his meditations and took his position in front of Velvet as he retrieved his sword from his back. Fox strode over to stand next to his tall teammate before extending the pair of blades attached to his arms. Coco adjusted the bullet-strap of her purse, itching for a chance to use it again.

A few more seconds went by before a loud "thud" signaled that the Bullhead had touched down.

" _Go, go, go!"_

As the pilot gave the go-ahead, the door opened, and all hell broke loose.

As they charged out of the transport, Yatsuhashi brought up his sword and used the blunt side to block a barrage of red laser bolts that immediately came their way, Fox swinging his own blades to deflect even more shots as the two men pushed forward, their female companions right behind them as they advanced down the street toward a pile of rubble which they took cover behind. Leaning back against an overturned car, Coco tried to peek her head over the top to get a good enough look at their enemy, only to force herself back down to avoid getting hit.

"Yatsu!" She called to her comrade. "Can you see them? We need to know what we're dealing with!"

The titanic swordsman nodded before angling his blade so he could use its reflective surface to peek around their cover, and despite the orange highlight of the image, got a good view of their enemy and relayed what he saw to the rest of his team.

"I count about two, maybe three dozen of them. They're split into separate groups stretching back a good distance down the street. The vast majority appear to be tan colored robotic soldiers, thin with elongated heads, each carrying some kind of rifle. They're supported by taller, bulkier robots with wrist-mounted cannons. At the rate they're marching they'll be all over us is two minutes at most."

"Hang tight, I've got a plan." Coco encouraged. "Fox, I need you to distract them first."

The blind huntsman nodded before he jammed the blade on his right arm into the car door, lodging it within and allowing him to rip it off, forming an aegis big enough to protect most of his body for the next part of his distraction: rushing out of cover and blasting away at the robots with his free arm while his makeshift shield took the brunt of the enemy fire.

With their enemy's attention diverted for the moment, Coco turned to her other two comrades for the next step. "Alright you two: Cinnabun!"

Velvet and Yatsuhashi shared a grin before the rabbit faunus fell onto her back, pushed her knees together and then brought them to her chest, the bottoms of her feet pointing upward. Yatsuhashi gripped his sword tightly before leaping onto Velvet's feet, balancing himself on the soles of his much smaller surrogate sister. Then, pushing with all her might, Velvet used her strong legs to propel him over the cover at high speed, sending him soaring high into the air like a rocket before gravity took hold once more and he began his decent toward the machines below, managing to avoid if not block their laser bolts on his way down. When he impacted, he brought his sword down onto the pavement, releasing an impact shockwave that sent most of the now destroyed machines sailing in all sorts of directions, the rest being mopped up from a distance by Fox's gunfire.

The bunny-eared girl peeked over her cover and prepared to congratulate her friend on their teamwork until she saw something sneaking up behind him. "Yatsu, look out!"

Yatsuhashi turned to face the source of the mechanical voice: one of the larger and bulkier robots with silver-blue armor now aiming its wrist-cannon at him.

"ENEMY UNIT PINPOINTED."

Yatsu scowled and prepared to raise his weapon…

SNIKT

…only for an orange-grown blur to pass by his field of vision, and the next thing he knew was the sight of the robot falling to pieces right before his eyes. He looked to the right and saw Fox crouching down on one knee, meeting his gaze and giving him a nod of thanks.

Coco and Velvet agreed that now would be a good time to get out of cover, but as soon as they vaulted over the upside-down car they froze at the sight of an unexpected arrival.

"Is that a hover-tank?" Coco wondered aloud.

Sure enough, out of a nearby alleyway came a heavily armored vehicle that looked almost like a large floating battering ram equipped with a large cannon on its top and two smaller guns on each of its sides. When it reached the center of the alley, it turned to face the two men of the team, angling its main cannon downward before firing a large blast of red energy between them, the resulting explosion causing them to be knocked away from each other in two different directions.

"Yatsu!" Velvet cried out.

Before she could make a move to help him, the distance between them be damned, the tank turned its attention toward her and Coco and fired a salvo of rockets from the openings at its base. Velvet prepared to jump out of the way, but her lover was faster, unfolding her gun-purse into its true form and unloading on the approaching missiles, destroying them before they could reach their intended target. When the smoke cleared they saw the tank adjusting its primary cannon once more to fire at them, only for said cannon to be sliced off by a vengeful Yatsu as Fox peppered its right side with more bullets.

Coco and Velvet shared a look, communicating through their expressions alone that this situation needed to be wrapped up this instant.

"Chocolate Bunny!" They both declared at once.

Coco slammed the butt of her minigun onto the ground so the barrel was pointing skyward and then revved it up, making sure to flip the safety on so as to not waste any bullets shooting at the open sky. Velvet rubbed her hands together in preparation before jumping forward, angling her body so she could grab hold of the rapidly spinning barrel as tight as she could as it spun faster and faster and faster, the whole world passing by in a blur as she kept track of her target's position and timed each pass, waiting for the opportune moment.

Then it came, and she let go.

The buildup of centrifugal force propelled her like a bullet down the street, her feet out in front of her as she delivered and earth-shattering dropkick to the front of the tank, creating a sizable dent in its armor and sending it careening down the street and exploding upon contact with an abandoned truck.

The rabbit faunus rubbed her aching head as her three friends moved to stand by her. "Ugh, I forgot how dizzying that was."

"You did well, Usagi-chan." Yatsuhashi commended as he patted her shoulder. She then looked to Fox, who simply nodded at her with a smirk.

"Nice hustle guys, but we should move on." Coco suggested, taking this opportunity to slowly scoot closer to an oblivious Velvet, whose gaze was fixed on a group of airships passing by overhead.

"You're right." Velvet agreed. "It might also be a good idea to link up with another te…"

SMACK

"…EEAM!" She squeaked in equal parts pain and pleasure, immediately using both her hands to vigorously rub her aching bottom to soothe the stinging sensation now present there. "Coco!"

"Sorry, Bun-Bun." The fashionista confessed as she blew on the tips of her fingers, giggling at the sight of Velvet's cute scowl and deepening blush. "Couldn't resist."

(X)

 **Residential District…**

The first sense that came to Ruby was her sense of smell, oddly enough.

Her nose wriggled as she took a deep breath through her nostrils and was rewarded with the scent of thick smoke and charred metal, making her cough and shift around on whatever hard surface she was lying on.

"She's coming to!"

Her hearing came next, picking up the sounds of crinkling flames and what seemed like distant thunder.

' _No wait, those are explosions.'_ She mentally corrected herself.

"Ruby, you okay?"

Finally, the red-hooded huntress-in-training opened her eyes to find all three of her teammates surrounding her, their relieved faces completely encompassing her field of vision. She smirked and tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her right side slowed her ascent.

"Ow." She groaned. "What happened?"

Weiss offered her hand and she took it, allowing the heiress to help her to her feet. "The Bullhead was hit by a homing rocket. Blew the portside engine to smithereens."

"I was the only one who wasn't knocked unconscious." Yang added. "I carried all three of you out and just waited for you to come to."

Ruby was about to say thank you, when a worrying thought popped into her head. "What about the pilots?"

The other three girls hung their heads. "They…didn't make it." Blake revealed, eliciting a gasp from her leader. "I'm sorry, Ruby."

Ruby scowled, her anger flaring at the loss of lives she failed to protect, but then she saw Blake's faunus ears twitch, one of them shifting until it had turned as far could in the direction of the noise it picked up. "What is it, Blake?"

The cat faunus quickly turned around and looked to the sky. "Something's coming."

Team RWBY looked on as, sure enough, the silhouette of what they thought was an Atlesian gunship made its descent towards their position, but as it passed through the haze of smoke their assumption was quickly disproven. Said vessel had an odd shape resembling the burnt shell of a pistachio nut that had been cracked open, revealing a tinted black orb on the inside, most likely the cockpit, and it touched down some distance down the street with its back facing them, revealing a single door followed by a ramp that extended out from beneath it. Then the back door opened and out stepped three figures of varying sizes all cloaked in black robes, their faces completely obscured from the girls' vision as they moved side by side down the street, Team RWBY silently agreeing to respond in kind.

After walking for a full minute, the two groups stopped about twenty feet away from each other, nobody making a sound until Ruby broke the silence. "Who are you?"

The one standing in the middle, the second tallest of the three, lifted its hands and removed its hood before dropping the rest of the cloak to the ground, revealing, surprisingly, an elderly man with silver hair and an impressive matching beard to boot. He attire consisted of a simply lack tunic and brown cape fastened around his shoulder via a small chain. As he straightened his posture and folded his hands behind his back, Ruby got the feeling that something was very strange about this man, but her analysis was cut short when he spoke, his tone emotionless and stoic.

"I am Darth Tyranus." He gave a slight bow. "And these are my associates…"

He gestured to the smaller figure to his right just as it was beginning to remove its own covering, revealing a woman with pale white skin and eyes, creepy black eye shadow, a completely bald head, and a white and black robe that reached all the way down to her ankles.

"…my pupil, Asajj Ventress…"

He then gestured to his left, where the taller figure had already revealed itself. "It" was the only word the girls could think of: the thing looked like some sort of robotic skeleton-creature, with a frightening almost Grimm-like mask that contained a pair of dull-gold colored eyes which glared at the group of girls before it.

"…General Grievous, and you've already met Durge."

Before the girls could question who that was, a fourth being appeared out of nowhere, its massive jetpack lowering it to the ground next to the Ventress lady, putting it right across from Yang. Its form was massive, with ripped muscles enhanced by the bulky gray armor it was wearing, the chestplate and shoulder pads painted with strange markings, and while its helmet shrouded its eyes in shadow, Yang figured he (judging by his appearance) was glaring right at her.

"How so?" The blonde brawler responded to Tyranus' question. She got an answer in the form of Durge lifting his right arm where a small missile protruded from his wrist, making her gasp. "You shot down the Bullhead?"

The armored giant cackled sadistically, making Yang growl.

"Easy, Yang." Blake said, succeeding in getting her girlfriend to at least stop gritting her teeth.

Ruby felt her fingers twitch, the instinctive need to grab Crescent Rose slowly growing larger. "Are you the ones behind this attack?"

"Yes." Came Tyranus' reply.

Now it was her turn to grit her teeth. "Why? What do you have to gain by attacking Vale?"

"That is not for me to discuss, I'm afraid." He then began stroking his beard as he studied the four teenagers. "Although, truth be told, we were not expecting the vast majority of you 'huntsman' to be so…young."

"So? You're old." Ruby retorted, earning a scoff from Weiss at the poor quality of her insult.

"Indeed." The elderly man gave no influx of emotion, seemingly not caring. "But the time for idle conversation has ended."

All the girls were put on edge when he moved his cape and revealed a curved metal cylinder attached to his belt. As he retrieved and activated it, Ruby watched with mild amusement as a blade of pure red energy extended from the small opening on its end. Ventress did the same, activating two red blades of similar design to her masters', followed immediately by Grievous activating two more, one blue and the other green. Durge simply cracked his neck and knuckles.

Team RWBY activated their own weapons as well: Crescent Rose, Myrtenaster, Gambol Shroud, and Ember Celica were just as ready as their masters were for what was to come.

"Ready girls?" Ruby asked her sisters, each of them locking eyes with their chosen opponent.

"Yeah/Yep/Yes." They answered.

"Then let's get 'em!"

The four young huntresses rushed forward, their enemy sprinting to meet them head on, and the battle was joined.

(X)

 **The Vault…**

Qrow scratched his scalp to remove the offensive bits of dust that had fallen into his hair.

He was currently leaning on one of the walls at the furthest end of the dark underground chamber from where the elevator was, the only source of light available to him being the two rows of emerald torches stretching the length of the corridor, one on each side. Every now and then the whole place would rumble slightly as the battle raged on the surface, a battle he wanted to be a part of.

Ozpin, however, had other ideas.

The veteran huntsman looked to his right where several life-support machines did their job to keep their occupant alive. He frowned when he got a good look at the dark-skinned, scar-faced girl lying comatose within one of the pods, recalling his failure to prevent her condition from occurring, his gaze then falling to his reflection on the polished floor. Ever since that day, he would sometimes find himself wondering how things could have been done differently; he did what he could, but not everyone shared his viewpoint. He still hadn't forgotten James giving him a proper scolding when he found out about Amber's unfortunate plight, the general quickly putting the blame on her guardian and accusing him of letting his "habits" interfere with his duties.

Qrow then lifted his flask from his belt and stared at it. "The hell does he know?"

Sure, he may not have been quick enough to save Amber, but his drinking had nothing to do with that. He didn't have a single drink that day, for crying out loud. Worrying about it or fretting over what he could've done differently wouldn't change a thing. The best he, or anyone, could do right now was move on, harder and tougher.

It was the same lesson he taught Yang after rescuing her and Ruby all those years ago.

He held his flask aloft in Amber's direction. "Here's to you, kid, for gettin' the privilege of sleeping soundly through all this shit." He then unscrewed the cap and lifted it to his lips…

BEEPBEEP

…only to be interrupted by his scroll. Breathing out a sigh of annoyance, he screwed the cap back on and secured the flask to his belt before grabbing the noisy electronic device and pushing the "answer" key, revealing the image of General Ironwood himself, of all people.

" _Qrow, we have a situation!"_

"What is it?"

" _We've been receiving numerous reports of a hooded figure making his way through the city, cutting down all in his path. He's just breached the CCT and is on his way down to you!"_

Qrow's eyes bugged out for a moment as he cast a quick glance to the elevator at the far end of the chamber.

" _You know what you have to do."_ James' voice brought his vision back down. _"At least now you'll know they're coming."_

The little jab did not go unnoticed by the dusty old crow as he narrowed his eyes at the picture on the tiny screen. "Yeah, yeah. Just make sure no one follows him down, got it?"

" _Affirmative. And Qrow?"_ The general paused. _"Do what you do best."_

Qrow's grin could've devoured whole truckloads of manure. "It's all I ever do, Jimmy."

He then shut off his scroll, pocketed it, and began his walk towards the elevator. He had just managed to reach the central room where the four corridors intersected when he saw the elevator open, making him stop in his tracks. Marching out of the elevator was the same man Ironwood warned him about: dressed in all black clothing overlapped by an equally dark cloak, his head was concealed by a large black hood that obscured his face from Qrow's vision, which didn't change even as the man eventually stopped at the opposite side of the Vault's midpoint from where he stood.

Qrow put his hands in his pockets and hunched over, his signature posture he always took before getting into a fight, which he knew was coming. But nevertheless, he still had time to mess with his foe beforehand.

"Don't you know it's rude to barge into someone's room while they're sleeping?" He gestured with a thumb to the comatose girl back the way he came.

The figure stood still, not saying a word or responding in any way.

"Oh, so you're one of those types, I take it?" Qrow straightened himself and retrieved his flask, removing the cap again and taking a long swig, wiping his mouth on his forearm afterwards as he put the container away. "Well, if you ain't gonna talk, could you at least give me the courtesy of showing your face? I'd like to know whose ass I'm going to kick, first."

Strangely, the hooded man obliged, lifting said hood off his head and letting his cloak fall to the floor, finally giving Qrow a good view of what he looked like, the veteran huntsman squinting his eyes as he took in every detail: the would-be assassin's head was covered in black tattoos etched all over his blood-red skin, and atop his head were a crown of bone protrusions where his hair should be. The whole picture was topped off by his menacing yellow-red eyes that glared unblinking at the warrior across from him while their owner retrieved a long metal cylinder from his belt.

And so it was, at times like these, when confronted by individuals with such a "unique" appearance, that Qrow Branwen only had one thing to say.

"You're one ugly mother fu…"

PZHEW

He was cut off by the sound of the assassin's metal cylinder activating, a long, glowing red blade extending from one end with what could only be described as an angry roar of energy as its wielder took a fighting stance.

Qrow replied by merely smoothing his hair back. "You ready to have a bad time, bub?"

The assassin then rushed forward, thrusting his blade upward and aiming for his opponent's face. Qrow dodged the first jab by shifting his head a little to the left, then to the right to avoid the next strike, then rotated it to avoid the next swipe, and then when the assassin prepared to bring his blade down on top of him, he lowered himself into a mock-bow. The blade came down, but instead of cleaving him in two, came into contact with Qrow's trusty weapon, Hades' Hewer, currently in it's inactive, more portable state on his lower back, which was quickly rectified when its master gripped its handle tightly and pulled the trigger for it to extend into its sword form.

Twirling the large blade, Qrow pushed his enemy back before taking up a fighting stance of his own, the assassin returning to his own unique form before his opponent launched a series of furious swipes at him that he just barely managed to avoid, snarling all the while at the dusty old crow's cocky grin. He then pushed back and swung his blade again and again, Qrow parrying each of his strikes before responding with an equal number of attacks of his own which the assassin also countered.

Back and forth they went. If one brought his blade down, the other would swing up and deflect it. If one aimed high, the other would then aim low at their turn. Despite the flurry of slashes being exchanged, neither could land a solid hit on the other until, much to Qrow's shock, the assassin caught Hewer's blade with his gloved hand, blood leaking out from the wound as he smacked Qrow across the face with the hilt of his own weapon. Despite the force of the impact, Qrow was otherwise unhindered, his left eye flashing red before he yanked his sword free and raised it over his head for one heck of an overhead strike.

The assassin back-flipped out of the way in the nick of time, resulting in Qrow's attack cratering the floor and sending large chunks of stone flying in all directions. The assassin's next move shocked Qrow, for he gestured towards the debris with his free hand and actually levitated the largest of the pieces off the floor before hurtling them at the huntsman via some sort of telekinesis. Qrow reacted fast, slicing the projectiles into pieces before he felt himself getting hit in the gut by what felt like an invisible boulder that sent him sailing backwards. He dug his sword into the floor to slow himself down, carving a large groove into it before he finally stopped, raising his head to see the assassin having extended his wounded palm out at him.

"Telekinesis." Qrow observed. "Nice Semblance. Good for long range." He then flicked the handle of his weapon, the blade folding down and revealing the twin barrels of Hewer's shotgun mode. "But now it's my turn."

He fired three consecutive blasts at his foe, forcing the assassin to leap out of the way and begin running along the walls, Qrow pursuing him with more shotgun rounds that left a trail of big holes in the wall in their wake. But suddenly the assassin stopped and then leapt off the wall, sailing across the room just as a second blade of energy extended from the other end of his sword's hilt. He jammed the first blade into the ground where Qrow stood, barely missing him, before twirling his weapon like a large staff, forcing the huntsman to block twice as often. Caught off guard, Qrow was unprepared when the assassin stopped and then threw his hand out again, releasing a torrent of lightning that hit him square in the chest and sent him crashing into the wall behind him.

Coughing and beating his chest, Qrow slowly stood up, his shirt smoking thanks to the singed threads. Looking across the room, he saw the assassin standing at the ready as he gripped his energy staff with both hands. Qrow then cast a glance to the adjacent corridor where Amber slept, and realized something: in the time it took for him to stand back up, his opponent could've easily made it to the comatose girl and slain her, but he instead chose to wait patiently for Qrow to recuperate. In fact, the tattooed creature hadn't even been paying attention to Amber at all, his furious energy focused solely on the veteran warrior guarding her.

Then it hit him: the assassin didn't come down here to kill Amber, he came down here just to fight Qrow.

Scowling, Qrow then flicked his weapon again, the gears in the hilt turning as the blade broke off into several sections that curved into a jagged, crescent shape before the hilt extended by several feet, its metamorphosis into its true scythe form now complete.

"Warmup's over."

The two warriors then charged at one another, leaping into the air before their blades clashed once more.

(X)

 **Residential District…**

Ruby never anticipated in her life that fighting an old man would be this hard, and her teammates were struggling just as much as she was.

Weiss and the Ventress lady had singled each other out, the latter using swift strikes and impressive acrobatics in combination with some sort of telekinesis to try and overwhelm the heiress. Weiss kept her cool though (darnit Yang), moving with such grace and employing her glyphs expertly that her bald adversary was caught off guard several times by either a paralysis glyph, or several others that launched massive shards of ice at her from all directions, and other strategies Ruby's partner exercised that exploited her opponent's weaknesses at every opportunity as she was trained to do.

Blake chose to go up against the skeletal Grievous, who utilized very unorthodox tactics against the cat faunus, including supporting himself on his hands and striking with his clawed mechanical feet or even rotating his torso extremely fast and creating a whirlwind of deadly lacerating light similar to a buzz-saw, Blake herself only managing to avoid getting hit most of the time by making full use of her ability to create copies of herself that were struck down in her place.

Yang was right in her element, furiously exchanging blows with her much larger adversary. Each of Durge's wrists were generating some sort of small circular energy shield that proved very useful in blocking Yang's punches, and for the few he didn't block, the impact only made him laugh before he struck back, ignoring his own pain in favor of keeping the fight going. But Yang pressed on, her eyes having gone red as she worked through her pain to inflict an equal amount upon her enemy.

As for Ruby herself, she was baffled at how someone as old as Tyranus appeared could be so nimble and strong, as he deflected every swing of her scythe with only one arm, the other one tucked behind his back. She had seen this type of attitude before whenever she sparred with her uncle.

He was mocking her.

"That is an impressive weapon you carry, child." The aged warrior admitted with a smirk as he jumped back to avoid another swing. "It is a shame that your skills in wielding it are not equal to the level of creativity in its design."

Ruby scoffed. "Yeah, well guess what?" She then slammed the curved blade into the ground in front of her, embedding it in the pavement before grabbing the bolt on the side.

CHIK-CHOK

"It's also a gun!"

She pulled the trigger several times, firing multiple shots of high caliber sniper rounds at her foe, grinning at the thought that he wouldn't be able to dodge them.

Well, he didn't, instead holding up his open hand and stopping the bullets in mid-air, and then before Ruby could even react, he launched them right back at her with a flick of his fingers. She deflected a couple of them with Crescent Rose, but the rest pelted her small form in several areas, forcing her onto her back as she unwillingly dropped her weapon to the ground.

She groaned painfully, but her voice caught as she felt a strong invisible force wrap around her neck, cutting off her ability to breath as her body was lifted off the ground. She stared at the approaching form of Tyranus, his free hand held out in front of him as he glared at the helpless, immobile girl before him.

"Your persistence is commendable, child, but futile." He let out a dark chuckle. "You remind me of someone else who's been a constant thorn in my side for quite some time."

Ruby said nothing, the pressure around her neck allowing her only a few strained grunts.

Tyranus then brought his glowing blade up to her throat. "At least this time I won't have to suffer you nearly as long."

She did her best to scowl at him, forcing down the lump in her throat as best she could while she waited for him to make his move.

"Ruby!"

Tyranus' eyes widened before he turned around and swung his sword, clashing with that of a certain blonde friend of Ruby's that managed to sneak up on him. She then felt the pressure around her throat vanish right before she dropped back down to the ground, breathing deeply as she raised her head to see Jaune Arc digging his feet into the ground and pushing back against his much older opponent, sparks flying from the point of contact between their respective blades.

Tyranus' scowled at his newest obstacle. "You should have remained hidden, boy."

But Jaune was undeterred. "JNPR, go!"

From her peripheral, Ruby first saw Pyrrha descend from on high, her shield clashing with one of Ventress' blades while Weiss locked her rapier with the other. Turning her head further, the red-hooded huntress-in-training then saw Ren leap into action against Grievous alongside Blake, the now outnumbered skeletal creature splitting his arms in two and drawing two more laser swords, wielding four in total now, to match his enemies' strength. And finally, Ruby was lucky enough to behold the glorious sight of Nora swinging Magnhild like a baseball bat and clocking Durge right upside the head.

Grinning proudly, Ruby retrieved Crescent Rose just in time to see Jaune crouching behind his shield for protection against several bolts of lightning thrown from Tyranus fingertips. Leaping into action, she swung at the elderly warrior's head, only for him to parry her strike with his blade. However, this distracted him long enough for Jaune to somersault to safety away from his enemy's attack and then perform a leaping blade attack, succeeding in creating a cut on Tyranus' arm, only to then be sent flying back the way he came by a telekinetic push. Ruby scowled, using the recoil of her weapon to propel herself at her opponent once more and deliver a fierce drop-kick to Tyranus' back, sending him sprawling across the pavement.

With her enemy disabled for a moment, Ruby ran over to Jaune and offered her hand. "You okay, buddy?"

Jaune coughed before taking her hand and letting her pull him up. "Yeah. Sorry we're late by the way."

Ruby shrugged. "Eh, we had it under control."

Jaune raised eyebrow. "Uh, huh."

The two shared a laugh before they heard the distinct sound of Tyranus groaning as he pushed himself back up, and when they saw his face, it was the epitome of fury and rage, the first emotional reaction they'd gotten out of him thus far.

The aged man drew his laser sword once again, gripping the handle white knuckle tight. "Insolent children." He growled.

Ruby and Jaune stood firm, moving closer to one another with their weapons at the ready.

"Yeah, we may be children…" the amiable blonde began.

"…but we can still kick your butt!" his younger friend finished. "Ready for more, grandpa?"

Tyranus took a single step forward, but then he stopped, tilting his head as if hearing something afar off before taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh, straightening his posture as he deactivated his blade. "Not today, but know that this is far from over."

And then, in a blinding flash of light, he was gone, vanishing without a trace.

"OH COME ON!" The two team leaders turned to see Yang, hair and eyes aflame, stomping her foot angrily, no sign of Durge or the rest of Tyranus' group anywhere. "It's over just like that? I haven't had a good fight like that in months!"

Ren leaned in close to Blake. "What's she referring to?"

"The time she beat up Team CRDL for spying on her during her morning workouts." Blake answered.

"Tee-hee, I remember that." Nora reminisced.

Weiss shook her head. "Must we encourage each other to commit more barbaric acts of self-gratification while in the middle of a battle?"

"Ain't a battle no more, Ice Queen."

A new, but familiar voice drew everyone's attention to a small, but thick cloud of smoke several feet away, where a silhouetted figure slowly made his way out of the thick vapor until the tail-swinging, open-shirted and well-toned form of Sun Wukong came strolling up to them, his signature weapon, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, lying across his shoulders in its staff form. "What's up, guys?" He greeted with a wave.

"Hey, Sun!" Ruby waved back.

Sun gave her a smile before he turned to Blake and held out his hand. "How you holding up, Blake?"

She smirked right back and accepted the offer for a handshake. "Not bad, Sun. Good to see you're alright."

He then leaned in and pointing to Yang. "You still keeping miss peevish over there in check?"

The cat faunus blushed. "Most of the time."

"Darn tootin'!" Yang called out, earning a heartfelt laugh from both faunus.

"Hey Sun, where you at?" Another recognizable voice called out before Sun's partner and fellow teammate, Neptune, came strolling up next to his leader, completely unaware that he was right next to him until he actually turned his head to the left and saw him. "Oh, there you are. Why'd you run off like that again, man? I thought we agreed that we were gonna link up with the closest team."

"Um, dude?" Sun nodded his head in the direction of the two other teams just as his other two teammates, Scarlet and Sage, came strolling up behind Neptune.

Neptune tilted his head in confusion, but when he turned in the direction his leader indicated, his eyes bugged out when they fell on Ruby's partner, who was now glaring at him. He quickly averted his gaze and began rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "H…Hey there, Weiss."

Weiss responded by crossing her arms and turning away. "Mr. Vasilias."

Neptune winced at her cold attitude, slipping his hands into his pockets and turning away in shame.

Pyrrha coughed loudly to try and break the awkward tension in the air. "So Sun, what do you mean it's no longer a battle?"

"Oh yeah." He cleared his throat. "The enemy's just…gone. We were busy fighting them a couple blocks away when all of the sudden, "poof." Bye-Bye." He then swiveled his head left and right to get a good look at the immediate area. "Looks like the same thing happened to you."

"But who were they?" Jaune asked nobody in particular. "And where did they come from?"

Ren hummed in thought. "Weiss, could they have been a splinter group from Atlas, judging by the sheer number of robotic soldiers they possessed?"

Weiss put a hand on her hip. "I won't deny that it sounds plausible, but where did they get the resources to build such a massive army, and without us knowing about it?"

Ruby stepped into the center of the large group of her fellow students. "We'll worry about that later, but right now we need to…"

BEEPBEEP

She paused to answer her scroll. "Uncle Qrow? Are you okay?"

"Heh, nothing I couldn't handle, kid." He joked. "But let me ask you: any sign of the enemy where you're at?"

She shook her head. "No, as far as we can tell."

"Same here."

Then Ruby remembered an important detail. "But we did encounter the ones behind this attack."

"You're certain?"

"They confessed to it."

There was a long pause on Qrow's end. "What was that? …Okay, got it. That was Ozpin; he wants you and your team to meet him in his office right away to talk about what happened."

"Got it. We'll wait for another Bullhead to pick us up."

"Actually…Ironwood's delegating them all to search and rescue." Qrow admitted sheepishly. "Sorry, but you'll have to get back the old fashioned way."

"Okay then. See ya." She then shut off her scroll and motioned for her teammates to follow her. "C'mon, girls."

"Wait, what about the rest of us?" Jaune called out.

"Search and Rescue. We'll catch ya later."

"A…alright then. Goodbye." JNPR's leader bid.

One by one, the other members of Team RWBY departed, bidding their comrades farewell as they went, save for one blue haired boy whose gesture went ignored by the woman he'd scorned.

(X)

 **Ozpin's Office…**

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Ozpin inquired as he leaned forward, folding his hands together as he rested his arms on his desk.

By the time they got back to Beacon, the sun had already set, but the shattered moon had yet to show itself thanks to a thick blanket of clouds obstructing Vale's view of the nighttime sky. Team RWBY stood before Ozpin, Qrow, Ironwood and Glynda also present, each in a different part of the room listening intently to the girls' recollection of events, the loud ticking of the massive gears and cogs within the Headmaster's dwelling reverberating throughout the air like they always did.

"I'm sorry Professor, but we've told you everything." Ruby finalized.

"Very well, then." Ozpin breathed out, turning to the General. "Any update, James?"

Ironwood growled in frustration as he pocketed his scroll and walked over. "None. Whatever means they used to disappear left absolutely nothing behind that we could've used to track or identify them. Not even the scraps of metal from the thousands of machines we destroyed. There's simply nothing."

"Save for all the damage they caused." Qrow added bitterly.

"Indeed. Thankfully, the city itself is still largely intact, and civilian casualties are, at the moment, zero. It seems our enemy's primary objective was eliminating the huntsman and huntresses, actively avoiding bystanders."

"But we still don't know who they were." Glynda pointed out irritably as she fiddled with her own scroll. "Tyranus, Ventress, Grievous and Durge? None of those names can be found in our database."

"The same goes for my forces' records." Ironwood stated. "We're completely in the dark."

"So what now, General?" Qrow asked as he approached his colleagues.

As his inner circle conversed about their next course of action, Ozpin got up from his chair and approached the back window, Team RWBY quietly moving to stand alongside him and look out across the vast expanse of the kingdom. There were still several fires here and there stretching back to the furthest reaches of the city, their appearance resembling little torches from this height while Atlesian gunships flew overhead as they transported supplies and wounded to their proper destinations.

"Is something the matter, Professor?" Ruby asked, noticing his face was fixated on the outside world.

Slowly, he turned to look down at her. "How often do you trust your instincts, Miss Rose?"

An odd question, but she decided to play along. "Um, well, whenever I can, really. Why?"

"Well, I was just reminded of an old saying regarding them: 'Your first instinct is usually the right one.'

Ruby blinked, prompting him to go on. "What I mean to say is that my instincts are telling me that something drastic has occurred whilst we were imprisoned." He then returned to looking out the window. "And they've never let me down before."

She felt a cold shiver crawl up her spine. "Wh…What do you think it could be?"

The Head of Beacon Academy then lifted his gaze up to the dark, cloudy sky where beams of moonlight had just begun to break through. "I believe we are about to get a major clue."

Ruby and her teammates followed his line of sight just as the clouds began to part, revealing the bright shining moon for the whole kingdom to see.

The completely whole, unbroken moon.

All four girls gasped, Ruby staring open-mouthed at the impossible sight before her. Yang and Blake instinctively grabbed each other's hand for support, while Weiss covered her mouth to stifle her own reaction. The other three adults in the room noticed as well, as Ruby felt her uncle's hand come to rest on her shoulder as he and his colleagues stared unblinking at the beautiful, but foreboding celestial body now casting it's cold, silver glow throughout the land.

Ozpin lowered his head before turning and beginning to walk away, giving Glynda's hand a reassuring squeeze as he passed. "You are dismissed, everyone. Please get some sleep; you'll need it for tomorrow."

 **Author's Note** :

Okay, I need to come clean. While my statement about including the RWBY-verse was out of fear for the show's cancellation was and is still true, that's only half the story. To be frank, I just really, REALLY wanted an excuse to include these characters I love so much in this story.

Please leave a comment/review. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next time: Then came a day unlike any other, when Earth's mightiest heroes returned to face a new threat.


	8. Back in Business Part 7

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

The sudden and very loud noise startled Tony so much he jumped out of his seat and hit his head on the ceiling of his limo. "Agh, jeez!"

"Tony!" Pepper reached out to him from her seat next to his. "Are you okay? What was that?"

"I don't know, Pepper." Tony answered, rubbing his aching head. "But they'd better hope I don't sue them for nearly giving me a concussion."

He turned to offer a comforting smile to her, but instead looked past her and out the window to see the buildings, which earlier passed by in slow succession, were now idle. Looking back and forth between his window and hers, he realized that his ride had stopped moving right in the middle of an intersection.

He cupped and over his mouth and called to the driver's seat. "Yo, Lieber! What's the holdup?"

The window separating the front from the rest of the interior slowly rolled down, allowing the balding, 70 or 80 something chauffer to turn around in his seat and answer back.

"Sorry Mister Stark, but there's a whole crowd of people blocking the way. Not sure why."

Tony and Pepper exchanged a look before gazing out their respective windows, watching as concerned citizens ran passed them and began grouping together in the street, making the crowd grow even larger.

"Huh. Wonder what's eating them?"

 _~Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back~*_

The sound of his ringtone drew his attention to his pocket where he retrieved his cell phone from and then brought it to his ear. "Stark here."

" _Tony, its Steve. Where are you right now?"_

"On our way to the mansion. Why?"

" _Look up."_

Doing as instructed, Tony rolled down the window and stuck his head out, straining his neck to gaze up at the silver…no…blue sky?

"What in the..?" Tony muttered, dumbfounded that he didn't notice this until now.

" _I know. We can see it from here, too. What does this mean, Tony?"_

"I don't know, Steve." Tony answered as he retreated back to the interior of the limo.

BEEPBEEP

His attention was then drawn to the small screen protruding down from the ceiling about a foot out from between him and Pepper. The otherwise black monitor was flashing a red Avengers logo in-synch with the annoying alarm it was giving off, signifying an emergency call.

"Sorry, I've got another call on line two. Keep me posted." He slammed the phone shut and then pressed the "answer" button.

"Hello, sir." Greeted the black and green bullseye-shaped eye on screen.

"Give it to me straight, JARVIS." Tony requested. The screen shifted to show a map of Manhattan, and all across it were red dots indicating something significant. "What am I looking at here?"

"I've detected multiple power fluctuations across the city, each one appearing in close proximity to the other Avengers as they were converging on the mansion. They showed up on radar shortly after the dome vanished."

Tony looked to Pepper. "Coincidence?"

"I think not." She concluded.

"I should also inform you that one of the fluctuations occurred in your office, sir."

Tony's eyes bugged out. "WHAT? Show me!"

JARVIS' image faded and was instantly replaced with security footage of Tony's office, and much to his ire, there was, for certain, a short, fat, and unshaven 30 something year old man with long orange hair and matching sideburns wearing some kind of odd trenchcoat straight out of a cancelled sci-fi tv show sitting at his desk, his feet propped up on the table while he snacked on some kind of potato chips lazily.

Tony scowled at the intruder in his home. "…Yeah, no. I'm going back."

"But we can't turn around." Pepper pointed out. "And at this distance walking is out of the question, too."

"Well, I'd take the suit in the trunk but it's deactivated like all the others." He reminded her.

CLICK

They both paused, Tony turning around to see the door having been opened, the Mark IX armor gesturing for them both to step outside, which they did.

"But…how?" Pepper stammered, equally awestruck as her boyfriend was by this new development.

"I was somehow able to reactivate your suit after the dome disappeared." JARVIS explained, speaking through the suit.

Tony processed that for a moment…then decided it wasn't worth thinking about. He had his suit back, and that was good enough for him.

He clapped his hands twice. "Alright, chop chop JARVIS; let's get this show on the road. Open up."

The suit nodded before turning around and opening its back components, Tony stepping inside before the suit closed around him. He then raised his armored hand and flexed his fingers, relishing in the familiar feeling that had been absent from his life this past year and grinning when he felt the hum of the arc reactor in his chest linking with the armor.

"There's no place like home, indeed." He mused.

By this point, a small crowd of concerned citizens had gathered around him, some muttering questions of whether this was the real Iron Man or not.

"It's okay, everyone. We have it under control." He announced to try and ease their nerves. "Please remain calm and everything will be…"

"Sir, you might want to duck." JARVIS suddenly interrupted.

Tony was about to question why when a warning light suddenly appeared on his radar, compelling JARVIS to override the suit's motor functions and force him to bend over, and when he returned to an upright position, he saw the faintest glimpse of Thor's hammer sailing down the street until he could no longer see it.

"Was that Mjolnir?" He asked nobody in particular.

KRAKOOM

The distant lightning strike was visible to everyone on the street.

"Looks like it." Pepper answered.

Tony brought two fingers to his ear. "Thor, it's Stark. What's your situation?"

He got his answer not from over the radio, but straight from the Thunder God's booming voice in the distance.

"FOUL BEAST! I SHALL SEND THEE BACK TO WHATEVER PIT THOU SPAWNED FROM!"

It was then that Thor, hammer in hand, took flight before a massive black dragon with a purple underbelly and glowing green eyes arose and then roared at its retreating pray. The beast then began flapping its massive wings and pursued the Asgardian Prince across the skyline, both vanishing behind a building even further away.

"Thor got his powers back." Tony realized. "Which means…"

He was cut off by a loud buzzing sound overhead, lifting his gaze to see a massive swarm of giant moth creatures, led by an even larger one, fly by overhead and heading in the same direction as…"

"Central Park." Tony figured out. "They're going to take out our food supply. JARVIS, warn the Pyms!"

"I've been trying, sir, but my communications now appear to be blocked somehow." The AI companion explained, making Tony groan in frustration.

"Look Convenience, if this is about the one time I…"

"Tony, focus!" Pepper yelled as she stood in front of him. "These people are scared. You've got to do something."

Taking a deep breath, Tony cleared his head and thought of a plan. "JARVIS, initiate the 'Home Delivery' system."

"Right away, sir."

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Home Delivery?"

"A backup plan that brings the Avengers' equipment to them in case of an emergency." The CEO explained. "One of my hobbies this past year, remember?"

"You had a lot of those." She pointed out.

"Yeah, but my favorite was you." He whispered, making her blush and roll her eyes.

Within a minute, they all looked up to see what appeared to be seven missiles careening across the sky, each heading in different directions as they carried their packages to their respective recipients. More frightened murmurs could be heard amongst the people surrounding the CEO.

"It's okay people; those are mine. The Avengers are back in action!"

Cheers broke out amongst the denizens of the street, some even throwing their hats in in air in celebration. Tony grinned beneath his helmet then moved to hold Pepper close.

"I gotta go, sweetheart." His mask then flipped open. "Don't get into any trouble while I'm gone, alright?"

"You're one to talk." She spoke huskily before leaning up and giving him a deep goodbye kiss. "Go get 'em, boss."

He grinned like a kid in a candy store as he took a few steps back before slamming his visor shut. "You complete me!"

And with that he took off like a rocket, making a beeline for Stark Tower as the roar of the crowd increased tenfold, catching a glimpse of his driver sticking his head out the window and pumping his fist in the air before he traveled too far away to notice, at which point he was all business.

"Can you pick up any transmissions at all?" He asked his AI friend.

"Just local chatter over the police airwaves, sir." JARVIS responded. "Nothing long-range."

"Pass the word along: tell the NYPD to keep the citizens off the streets. Take them down to the basements or into the subway tunnels if need be."

By now Stark Tower was getting closer and closer until it was only seconds away, the tiny speck that was his reflection in the window quickly getting bigger as he approached at full throttle.

"Aren't you going to use the appropriate landing pad, sir?" JARVIS questioned.

Tony grinned once more. "Where would the fun in that be?"

"What was I thinking? You're always so discreet."

And so in true Tony Stark fashion, he opted to ignore the usual method of doing things and just crash straight through the window of his own office, skidding to a halt on the tiled floor directly behind his desk, startling the fat occupant into spinning around in his chair to observe the newcomer with wide eyes.

"If you wanted an appointment, you should've called my girlfriend." Tony chided, standing tall to make himself look as intimidating as possible.

The short and stout man held up a single finger as he continued to chew his mouthful of deep fried potato slices.

Iron Man just waved him off. "No, go on; finish your chips. I'll wait."

The man nodded in thanks before taking a big gulp and wiping his greasy, crumby hands on his shirt. "My name isBURP!"

His obnoxious belch had the unfortunate side effect of spewing chip crumbs onto Tony's visor, which he slowly wiped off with a grumble. "You were saying?"

"…My name is CONTROL FREAK! The master of monsters and your worst nightmare come to life!" He boasted.

Tony stood unflinching. "Really? You look more like a hairy man-child who can't even afford to pay rent on his parent's basement, if you ask me."

Control Freak scowled as he reached into his coat pocket and retrieved a strange-looking remote control.

"Ooh, what's that? Tony mocked. "Some kind of "ultimate weapon?"

A sinister smile appeared on his opponent's face. "You could say that."

He then pointed the remote over his shoulder and pressed the big red button on it, and a few seconds later, the door to Tony's office opened and several of his own armors came marching in, their eyes and arc reactors glowing red as they took up positions around his desk. A loud hum coming from outside made him turn around and see even more of his armors hovering in mid-air outside the windows.

"Sir, my readings show that the other armors have been taken over by a signal projected from Control Freak's remote." JARVIS explained.

Tony let out a long sigh. "Anything else?"

"They've locked onto you and are powering up their weapons."

"Swell."

Control Freak's laughter drew his attention back to the short villain. "I hope you enjoy the show, because _**you're**_ the star! Attack, my mechanical minions!"

Each of the hijacked armors then raised their palms at Iron Man, the centers glowing brighter as they prepared to fire a volley of repulsor rays at their creator.

"Well," Tony began, lifting both of his own palms and selecting his first targets. "…here we go again."

(X)

 **Union Square…**

"Everyone ready?"

Black Panther, standing on Steve's left, made sure his gloves were properly fastened before turning to his fellow Avenger and nodding. "I am."

Steve nodded back before turning to his right. "Carol?"

The reinstated Ms. Marvel was busy fidgeting uncomfortably in her uniform, grunting as she picked at her seat. "Ugh, I think I put on a few pounds since I last wore this."

The veteran soldier smirked at her. "I think you look great."

She grinned right back. "Captain Rogers, are you fraternizing me in the middle of a mission?"

"Are you questioning my decisions, Lieutenant?"

"My friends." Black Panther interjected. "While I do find your flirtatious banter quite amusing, we still have a job to do."

The couple coughed awkwardly as they straightened their postures. "Right, let's get going." Steve ordered as he pulled his cowl down over his face.

The three of them then stepped out through the front entrance of an electronics store along the south side of the square, deciding to change into their uniforms there rather than out in the open. All around them were law enforcement officers running two-and from trying to direct civilians away from the open area they were walking into, and they notice a squad of police cars barreling down 17th Street followed closely by a fire engine and a couple of ambulances.

"Looks like Tony got the word out in time." Ms. Marvel concluded as the group stopped at the foot of the George Washington statue.

"But without long-range communications, we cannot coordinate effectively against this attack." Black Panther added. "We need to regroup with the other Avengers as soon as we can."

"Not until this area is secured first." The Captain stated. "Ms. Marvel: you'll be our eyes in the sky. Get above these buildings and tell me what you see."

The Lieutenant nodded before taking off, stopping several dozen feet in the air and scanning the buildings in the distance to the north.

"I can see Hank from here; he's in his giant form wrestling with a giant moth-looking thing. Jan and Vision are keeping the smaller ones busy. Thor's fighting a dragon, and I think I see Iron Man coming this waAAGH!"

A bolt of purple energy came out of nowhere and hit her square in the back, making her lose a little of her altitude before she turned to face the offender. It was a teenaged girl with orange skin and glowing purple eyes wearing an outfit consisting of a black leather chest covering, a matching skirt and leggings, and the rest of her body from the neck down, except for her hands, was concealed in some type of thin and flexible lavender armor. She laughed at Ms. Marvel's pain before flying away, the Lieutenant growling as she gave chase, both disappearing behind the nearby buildings.

Cap grunted at this unfortunate development. "They're trying to separate us. We need to…"

"GET DOWN!"

The next thing Cap knew was Black Panther forcing him onto the pavement before his ears caught the sound of several small metal objects striking the statue behind him. He turned and saw half a dozen x-shaped shurikens embedded into the base of the statue, before his head snapped back into its previous position to see Panther hopping from the top of one lamppost to another as he chased after a smaller man wearing a skull mask, black cape, and a misshapen red "X" symbol on his chest. The two kept going until they turned a corner and vanished from view, prompting Cap to stand up again.

"What's next?"

It was then he looked up just in time to see Iron Man pass by overhead with a legion of his own armors hot on his tail, only said armors were in the process of trying to blast their creator out of the sky as he fled rather than providing additional air support like Steve hoped they were doing, making the veteran soldier-turned-superhero groan in frustration.

"Oh beautiful, for spacious skies. Wouldn't you agree, Captain Rogers?"

A new voice he didn't recognize made Steve do a complete 180, and there, leaning back against the base of the statue with his arms crossed, was a man about as tall as Steve was, clad in a black body suit with overlapping gray armor on several sections of it. But his most distinguishing feature was his mask: half orange and half black with only his left eye being visible.

Captain America locked his gaze with this stranger. "Are you part of this attack?"

The stranger remained still, but Steve noticed him clench his fists beneath his shoulders. "In a manner of speaking."

"I thought so."

Captain America had learned quite a bit during his service as both a soldier in the Second World War and even more as a member of the Avengers, lessons that he had accumulated and taken to heart from battle to battle, mission to mission, and one such lesson came to the forefront of his mind in that instant:

Never give the enemy the opportunity to shoot first.

And so he spun on his heel and released his shield from his wrist, sending it gliding through the air as hard as he could, aiming for his opponent's head, but, much to his own shock, not only did the stranger catch the shield with one hand, he then mimicked Steve's own technique and threw it back at him twice as hard, forcing him to duck lest his skull get cracked, and while that didn't happen (thankfully), the lamppost behind him wasn't so lucky as it was severed in two, the top half falling over like a tree getting cut down by an axe.

Steve didn't pay attention to that, however, instead focusing all his attention on his newest enemy who was now charging at him full speed, and so he brought his fists up in a boxer's fighting stance right when the first punch came his way.

The stranger's moves were relentless, brutal, and left no room for Steve to counterattack with the sheer speed and ferocity he utilized. Steve himself recognized the technique he was using as the Northern Chinese martial art known as _Heihuquan_ , or "Black Tiger Fist," an offensive style that his own boxing stance was struggling to withstand: his forearms took a pounding as he reacted as fast as he could to block/deflect/dodge the flurry of strikes coming his way, and the one time he did try to throw a punch of his own resulted in his opponent dodging to the right before driving his knuckles straight into his jaw.

The veteran soldier grunted in pain: that punch had _hurt_ , but at the same time emboldened him to try again.

He saw his chance when the stranger pulled his right hand back for another side-swipe aimed at Steve's head. Pushing himself forward, he closed the distance between the two of them enough to where the stranger reacted on instinct and used his left hand to push him away, just like he'd hoped. When the next punch came, Steve was already bent over and avoided the swipe before seizing his opening and delivering a vicious right hook to the side of his opponent's head, stunning him long enough to be hit with the roundhouse kick that followed, sending him sailing backward until he collided with the statue. Not wasting any momentum, Steve then ran forward and delivered a flying knee strike right to the stranger's chest.

But his foe wasn't finished yet as he blocked Steve's next attack with his left forearm before throwing his own punch in retaliation that Steve caught, leading to a short grapple between them. Keeping his hold on Steve's wrists tight, the stranger then delivered a rock-hard headbutt to the soldier's face who then performed a dropkick to his midsection, separating them both as they were sent to the ground in opposite directions.

Both fighters then quickly performed a handspring and got back to their feet, Steve proceeding to wipe the blood from his nose while the stranger flexed his sore arm.

"For the record," the one-eyed villain began. "…I don't expect either of us to throw in the towel any time soon."

Steve's response was to spit the runoff from his injured nostrils out of his mouth before raising his fists once more. "I could do this all day."

And then round two began.

(X)

 **Rockefeller Plaza…**

Hawkeye notched another arrow as he stood above the ice rink. Looking down, he saw Black Widow performing impressive and mesmerizing acrobatic maneuvers to avoid her opponent's attacks. Her eyes were locked in a narrow gaze as she put her seemingly inhuman flexibility to the utmost use, her black leather spandex stretching with every movement and providing a crystal-clear outline of her luscious curves, especially those of her two round…

' _Focus, Clint. You can eyeball your sexy girlfriend later.'_ The marksman mentally chided himself as he pulled the string back and took aim.

His target was another woman trying her hardest to pound Black Window into the icy ground with her ability to stretch/elongate herself a la Mr. Fantastic. Said woman was wearing some sort of red suit with black leather gloves of the elbow-length variety, matching thigh-high boots and twin black belts around her waist. Her hair was also black, cropped just above the base of her neck, and she spoke with a _very_ thick Slavic accent as she shouted Russian insults every time her attacks missed.

' _Maybe they were roommates?'_

He was brought out of his internal monologue when Ms. Malleable caught Natasha off guard by contorting her body like a serpent before striking Widow in the chest in the blink of an eye, sending the red-headed Russian spy skidding across the ice on her back. Picking his target, Hawkeye released his arrow, the super-heated tip glowing red-hot as it sailed downward until it struck the ice, detonating upon impact and creating a large enough steam explosion to shroud the villainess in fog and obscure Widow from her vision for the moment.

"Natasha!" He called down to her.

Without even needing to look, she fired a grappling hook from one of her wrist-launchers and grabbed hold of his bow. Bracing himself on the stone railing, he acted as a living anchor to help pull her up and over before both ducked down behind their new cover. Detaching the cable, Widow proceeded to reload her wrist-launchers, giving her joints a good massage in the meantime after putting them through such a strain moments ago.

"Just like Budapest all over again." She mused.

Hawkeye retrieved another arrow. "You and I remember Budapest very differently."

She shot him a grin. "You're right; there was a lot less ogling back then."

He responded with an unamused frown. "Yeah, well "Ogle" is a two way street in our town, Tash."

She smirked back at the blonde bowman, but before she could come up with another witty retort, a gloved fist burst through the stone between them, making them lean back in surprise.

"Durachits!"

Giving each other a nod, they both stood up and turned to point their weapons down at the stretchy villainess, who was ankle-deep in a lukewarm pond at the center of the rink.

"You're toys do not amuse me!" She shouted up at them.

Hawkeye was seconds away from releasing his arrow when something caught his eye, something that caused him to look upward, and upon seeing it he grinned. "Maybe not, but this might."

"What are you talking about?" Ms. Malleable demanded.

"Hit the deck!" Clint put one hand on Natasha's shoulder and forced her to the ground behind their cover.

The villainess was obviously confused, but then she notice the shadow around her feet and looked up to find its source, which was unfortunately on a collision course with herself. The last thing she saw before the impact was…

"Green?"

BOOM

Chunks of ice exploded into the air from the impact as the accompanying splash rose high enough to douse Clint and Natasha, but they remained still until the rumbling stopped and all they could hear were the pained groans of their newest guest. Peeking back over their cover, their eyes beheld a welcome sight.

The Incredible Hulk lying on his back where the villainess used to be

"Hulkster, you okay?" Hawkeye called out as he and his partner jumped back down into the rink.

The not-so-jolly green giant slowly pushed himself up as he rubbed his aching head before he noticed his friends approaching him, making him smile. "Hey guys; long time no see."

"Likewise." The blonde bowman said as he and the Hulk shook hands. "Did you enjoy your nap?"

"Mmmhmm. Naps are good. So what'd I miss?"

"We were fighting some woman with stretching powers very similar to Mr. Fantastic." Natasha explained. "But then you fell out of the sky right in top of her."

Hulk then began frantically searching under his feet to try and locate the woman mentioned.

"Um, Hulk?" Clint spoke up. "You've got something on your back."

Hulk stopped before reaching around to touch his back, where he felt something flat and rubbery stuck to it like a big piece of tape which he promptly peeled off. He then presented it to his friends, which turned out to be Ms. Malleable, now unconscious, flat as a pancake and her body dangling listlessly from his grasp.

"Heh, oops." Hulk joked before dropping her to the ground.

"Thanks for the assist." Clint told him. "So how'd you end up here?"

"Some creature thought it'd be fun to pitch me like a baseball." He growled.

"What kind of creature?" Widow asked.

"SCREEEEEECH!"

The whole rink shook again as something else came in for a crash-landing behind Hawkeye and Widow, and when the turned around to see it, they did their best not to throw up as their eyes drank in the image of the unsightly thing before them. It appeared to be an amalgamation of multiple types of creatures: most of its body was made of some sort of purple slime, the rest of it composed of large boulders protruding out of its shoulders, forearms and left leg. Its joints were connected by pure electricity, and seven bubbly green eyes rested on the top of its head above its massive mouth.

"That kind." Hulk confirmed.

"What is that thing?" Widow exclaimed.

"A pain in my rear." The green goliath growled and he took a step forward to continue his fight with the monstrosity.

But Hawkeye held up an arm, stopping him. "Hold on. I've got just the thing for Mr. Blobenstein here."

Widow watched as her boyfriend retrieved a silver arrow from his quiver, the bullet-shaped tip glowing a bright blue. "Your quantum arrow? But that's…"

"Baby, this _is_ an emergency." The bowman reminded her as he took aim.

Just as the creature began to march forward, Hawkeye released the Q-Arrow, aiming directly for his target's mouth. His aim was flawless, as the monster swallowed the projectile whole, stopping for only a second before it screeched again, except this time it was not to be intimidating but to give voice to the excruciating pain it was experiencing as blue arcs of light projected out of its body in various areas before it finally exploded from the inside out, sending chunks of rock and globs of goop in all directions.

"Well done, Clint." Widow deadpanned as she wiped some slime off her face.

"Thank you. Now, let's make sure he's down."

He slowly approached the spot where the monster used to be, and found instead a small, skinny man wearing nothing but black underwear, out cold. Hawkeye cautiously nudged his unconscious form, and when he didn't move, breathed a sigh of relief.

"We're good."

"I just contacted the nearest dispatch." Widow said. "They'll be here to pick these two up in a short while."

"Good, but we need to find the others." He then looked to his big green friend. "Care to give us a lift?"

Hulk grinned down at him. "Sure."

Widow blanched. "You can't be serious." All she got in return was a smirk from each of the men. "Ugh, fine. Just watch the hands."

And with that, Hulk grabbed hold of his two friends tightly and bounded out of the plaza.

(X)

 **Central Park…**

"Okay, this isn't going well!" Jan shouted as she fired another stinger blast at an approaching mothling.

If her memory served (and it always did), she and Vision had taken down dozens of these giant moths already, but they just kept coming. Their target was obviously the giant glass dome encasing the park where they grew food for the whole city, which by now had a massive spider web-shaped crack slowly spreading across its surface with every impact the moths made to it, and it only got worse every time Hank or the largest moth, the queen most likely, were thrown against the transparent material whilst the two wrestled with each other.

"Ya think?" Hank responded as he tried to keep the jaws of the massive lepidopteran from clamping down on his face, the pressure creating more cracks on the glass behind him.

"I concur with Wasp's assessment." Vision spoke up from his position right behind Jan, their backs to each other as the swarm buzzed around them. "If we prolong this engagement any longer, we risk compromising the Greenhouse."

"And then these bugs will turn out food supply into an all-you-can-eat buffet. Yeah, I got that." She exasperated as she threw more stinger blasts, Vision following up with his forehead laser.

But there seemed to be no end in sight. When one was destroyed, two more would take their place, and as they continued to chip away at the glass, along with the rest of the Avengers being MIA, it seemed like this fight was lost for these three heroes.

CRASH

Only for everyone to stop when a large black and purple object smacked against the damaged glass before it feel to the ground. Everyone, Avengers and moths included, stopped to get a good look at the object and were stunned to see that it was the severed head of a dragon, its tongue hanging listlessly out of its mouth as green blood oozed out of the gaping wound in its neck.

"FEAR NOT, MY FRIENDS! I WILL DISPATCH THESE MEDDLESOME INSECTS!"

Immediately after their ears registered the booming voice of the Thunder God, dozens of lightning bolts came down from the sky and struck the swarm, the electricity arcing between each moth and burning them to a crisp while avoiding the three Avengers. As the last crackle of electric energy faded away, the burned husks left in their wake all fell in smoking heaps onto the street. Jan looked up and beamed when he saw Thor descending from on high with a triumphant grin on his face.

Hank, unfortunately, was still struggling with the Queen despite the injuries she just sustained from Thor's lightning, but upon seeing the Thunder God floating in mid-air not too far away from him, got an idea.

"Hey Thor; batter up!"

Pushing with all his might, Yellowjacket kicked the queen off himself at last, the giant grey animal spinning through the air towards where Thor was waiting to bring his hammer down on top of it.

The blow struck true, striking the massive moth right in the center of its back and sending it crashing into the street below, the impact cracking the pavement and kicking up a lot of dust. The queen twitched in pain before it emptied its lungs as death took hold of it.

Jan, Vision and Thor all lowered themselves to the ground while Hank shrunk back down to normal size as they all approached the queen's corpse.

"Is it dead?" Jan asked.

They then saw movement from underneath the fur along the neckline of the beast, and then, to everyone's shock, a humanoid figure came tumbling out and collapsed at the Avengers' feet. It appeared to be a half-man, half-moth creature wearing a costume of similar color and aesthetic to the giant insect it crawled out of.

It gazed at the Avengers with its purple, insect-like eyes. "You…you killed my queen!"

Jan lifted an eyebrow. "YOUR queen?" She gagged. "Gross!"

"Disgusting relations aside," Hank began. "…you're going to tell us who's behind this attack, right now, Mister Moth."

"My name is **Killer** Moth!" He snarled. "And I will not tell you anything."

"Suit yourself. Vision?"

The sentient machine nodded before blasting Killer Moth square in the face with his forehead laser, knocking the insect-like villain out cold.

"Well, that's that, I guess." Jan shrugged.

"We'll turn him over to the authorities soon." Hank stated before turning to look at the severed dragon head. "So, you're a dragonslayer by trade, I take it?"

Thor grinned as he lifted Mjolnir triumphantly. "Aye. Tis all in the swing, my friend."

"Um, guys?" Jan spoke up. "Not to be rude, but the city is still under attack!"

The group went silent as they focused their eyes on the plumes of smoke in the distance, the distant blaring of sirens not going unnoticed either.

' _What would Steve do?'_ Yellowjacket asked himself silently.

"Jan's right." Hank stated. "Vision, any luck reaching the others?"

"Negative." The sentient machine stated. "The only transmissions I have detected are short-range communications between local law enforcement and emergency responders."

"Have they seen any sign of the others?" Jan asked.

"Numerous dispatches have reported more sightings of Iron Man than any of the other Avengers."

"Tis true." Thor confirmed. "I witnessed Stark being chased by his own armors. Something has turned them against him."

"We have to help him!" Wasp pleaded.

Hank put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "We will, but our first priority should be the citizens. Once they are safe, Thor will stand guard over the Greenhouse while the rest of us move onto the next area. Sound good?"

He received various conformations all around, his favorite being in the form of a warm kiss Jan planted on his cheek.

"I love it when you take charge." She spoke softly to her husband before helping him carry the unconscious Killer Moth to the nearest police car.

(X)

 **Times Square…**

"Weapons check!" Tony shouted as he tore the helmet off the Mk. II.

His plan to try and evade the armors as well as regroup with at least one of his colleagues didn't quite work as well as he'd hoped. The suits, despite being remotely controlled, didn't behave like automated machines: they used tactics, flanking maneuvers, and remarkable coordination to overwhelm Tony and keep the pursuit going. But after a while his frustration reached a boiling point and he decided to just stop running and stand his ground within a group of the tallest buildings in the immediate area, hoping to box them in, but unfortunately, it also left him with limited room to maneuver as well.

"Repulsors at 47 percent. Guided missile launchers 99 percent exhausted." JARVIS explained.

Tony grit his teeth as he punched through the chest of another armor. That didn't give him much to work with, and time was running out. He could always go for an up close and personal strategy, but focusing on one armor at a time would give the rest more time to strategize. He briefly considered using his suit's invisibility tech to try and escape, but that would compel the armors to seek a new target and run amok, and with communications still being blocked, he couldn't afford to try running again.

His contemplation was cut short when his radar flashed red again, a big red splotch appearing right behind the center where his armor was located.

"Don't tell me." He sighed.

He then turned around just in time to receive a massive blow to his chest courtesy of a giant, red-armored fist that sent him plummeting to the ground below, cratering the pavement on impact. Now lying on his back with the arc reactor in the chestplate sparking, Tony slowly lifted his aching head to see the remaining armors touch down around him, followed closely by the largest of them all.

"The Hulkbuster." He groaned.

The torso of the mechanical behemoth opened up to reveal, much to Tony's irritation, Control Freak sitting in the pilot's seat laughing like a maniac.

"Hahahahaha. A worthy effort, Iron Can, but ultimately futile in the face of my unparalleled brilliance."

"Iron _Can_?" Tony muttered. "That's a new one."

"And to think, all your gadgets, suits and toys couldn't match up to a simple remote control like this." The stout villain then presented said device and gave it a quick kiss before pointing it at the downed Avenger. "Finish him!"

The suits raised their palms again and slowly began advancing on Tony's position.

"That remote is anything but simple, sir." JARVIS spoke up.

"Yeah, I noticed." Tony groaned as he struggled to move. "Which is why we've got to take it out. Ready the last missile."

"But sir, the damage to your armor has rendered your targeting systems inoperable."

"Then I'll have to aim down the sights. Do it!"

JARVIS obeyed, and the moment the helmet snapped open, Tony lifted his wrist to see the sole remaining missile in his suit's armory waiting patiently for its wielder to fire it. Pointing it at Control Freak, who was still busy laughing in triumph, he closed his left eye and squinted his right as he zeroed in on his target, and once it was dead in his sights, he clenched his fist and launched the explosive projectile, which careened passed the other armors until it made contact with Control Freak's remote, shattering it to pieces in a small, but powerful explosion.

"Bullseye."

"NO!" Control Freak called out, panic clear in his voice. His fear only grew when the red lights on the armors changed back to their original blue before he felt himself being forcefully ejected from the Hulkbuster's torso, sending him rolling across the ground. As he pushed himself up, his eyes bugged out at the sight of the armors surrounding him with their palms raised.

"It's over, kid." Tony said as he approached, his mobility restored now that JARVIS had fixed the suit's power problem. "Now, I'll go easy on you if you tell me who put you up to this. So what's it going to be?"

Control Freak scowled before his eyed widened. "No, not yet! I can still beat him! Just give me…"

A bright flash of light then engulfed him, and when it died down, he was gone.

Tony stared for a brief moment in silence. "JARVIS?"

"It appeared to be some form of teleportation, Mr. Stark. The energy readings didn't match anything on record, but they were immense in the brief moment I analyzed them. But despite this turn of events, I do have good news: communications have been restored."

Tony didn't waste any time and put his fingers to his ear again. "This is Iron Man calling all Avengers. Please respond."

A slight burst of static was the immediate response before the welcoming voice of his friend spoke up. _"This is Captain America. Tony, do you read me?"_

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Loud and clear, Cap. How's your day going?"

" _Peachy. I got separated from Marvel and Panther before a masked man attacked me, but he just vanished before my eyes."_

"Same thing happened to the guy I just fought. No sign of him either."

" _We need to regroup ASAP, Tony."_ The urgency in the captain's voice was palpable.

"Agreed, but we've got a city to secure first." The CEO then flicked his visor back down and dialed in the rest of his team, a list of their names appearing next to a column of white dots on his HUD. "Attention Avengers, this is Iron Man. If you're receiving this, your orders are to assist in search and rescue efforts across the city until further notice. See if you can regroup with each other along the way. Acknowledge."

The white dots all turned green.

"Good. Iron Man out." He then turned to his armors which had been stationary up until now. "JARVIS, deploy the suits to recover the pieces of the ones I broke and deliver them back to the tower for repairs."

Just as the armors took off, Tony's HUD displayed a notice of an incoming message from Ms. Marvel, flashing red, indicating urgency. "Go ahead, Marvel."

" _Iron Man? Um, I think I've stumbled across something big."_

The worry in her voice put him on edge. "How big?"

" _Big enough to cause a city-wide panic if we aren't careful."_

"Has Galactus touched down, or something?"

" _Something."_

"Well don't keep me waiting. Spill."

" _I'm currently hovering above the Empire State Building and can see Queens from up here…"_

Her pause increased his concern. "But?"

"… _but that's it. The other three boroughs are just…gone."_

The CEO froze, his breath catching in his throat. "What do you mean _gone_?"

" _Exactly that: where Brooklyn and Stanton Island should be there's only open ocean, and the Bronx has been replaced with just a big grassy plain."_

Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You're serious?"

" _Do I sound otherwise?"_ She growled.

"Fair point. Look, we'll discuss everything after we've regrouped. For now, focus on helping the people; most of 'em are probably scared out of their wits right now. They need us."

" _Understood. Ms. Marvel, out."_

After the line went dead, Tony let out a long, tired exhale.

"Any other calls you'd like me to make, Mr. Stark?" JARVIS inquired.

Tony thought for a moment. "Just one: Pepper." He then activated his repulsor boot jets and took to the air.

A chime within his helmet indicated his call was answered. _"Tony, is that you?"_

"Yeah Pepper, it's me. Listen: I'm afraid we're going to have to cancel the party with the guys tonight."

" _What? What happened?"_

"Just another day in the life. Let me explain…"

(X)

 **Avengers Mansion, Sometime later…**

The whole team had gathered around the holo-table in the center of their headquarters' sub-level, each member sporting various battle scars from the day's events, some worse than others, such as Black Panther's torn costume or Cap's blackened eye, but otherwise were fine. Tony approached the table and placed both his hands on it, images of the faces of the new cadre of villains they encountered earlier today appearing above it.

"Okay, let's recap: today, the dome just decided out of nowhere to quit its job after keeping us trapped inside itself for an entire year, and almost immediately after, Manhattan was attacked by these guys. What do we know about 'em?

"The electric blob thing got on my nerves." Hulk started before sharing a grin with his blonde best friend. "Until Hawkeye gave him indigestion, that is."

"Yeah, and the girl Widow and I fought had powers identical to Mr. Fantastic." Clint added.

"And before any of you ask, I am NOT familiar with her." Widow pressed.

Steve then stepped forward and pointed to the face of his opponent. "After Carol and T'Challa were drawn away, I fought against this masked man here. He was very strong and skilled, almost superhumanly so." He then turned to the black-clad king. "Did you get anything on the assailant you pursued?"

T'Challa held up one of the assailant's x-shaped projectiles. "I managed to procure this from his person and had it analyzed. The material it is made of doesn't match anything I've seen before, but it is highly unstable, even more so than raw vibranium."

"The girl I fought kept making references to her "inferior" sister." Carol chimed in as she rubbed her aching jaw. "Seemed to me like she had some issues."

"Yellowjacket, Wasp and myself defended the Greenhouse from a swarm of giant, genetically engineered moth creatures controlled by one calling himself Killer Moth." Vision disclosed. "We were almost overwhelmed until Thor arrived and dispatched the swarm.

"Yeah, after beheading a giant dragon." Jan added.

Thor smirked and crossed his arms proudly. "It brought back memories of my youth."

Tony grimaced. "Yeah and I got stuck with this guy; Control Freak. Apparently his parents didn't teach him not to take things that didn't belong to him."

"Seven new villains." Hank proclaimed, tightening his grip on his wife's waist. "They knew an awful lot about us, each singling out an Avenger that would be a match for them. Where did they get that information: HYDRA? AIM? Doctor Doom?"

"Without the means to question one of them we have no way of knowing until we track them down." Steve said.

The leader of the Avengers let out another sigh.

"Tracking them may have to wait in the face of more pressing concerns." The images of the villains disappeared and were quickly replaced by a bird's eye view of both the Manhattan and Queens Islands.

"This picture was taken an hour ago by one of my suits. As you can see, incase Carol didn't already inform you, three of New York City's five boroughs are missing, gone without a trace."

"But how, and why?" Jan asked. "Who or what would be crazy enough to just steal three pieces of our city while we were trapped inside the dome?"

"A lot can happen in a year, Wasp." Clint pointed out.

"Moreover, why did they choose to leave Queens behind, I wonder?" T'Challa's wondered aloud as he stared at the image.

"All of the highways leading in and out of the city are gone, too." Tony added. "And the geography beyond that doesn't match up to our maps."

"So what?" Hulk shrugged.

"So, big guy, it means that, from the look of things, something or someone just picked up two of New York's most populated islands and moved them somewhere else."

"But why use the domes then?" Widow asked nobody in particular. "Could they have been used as a means of transporting us?"

Before anyone could answer, a small green light flashed on the console near Tony's fingertips.

"I have intercepted a transmission, sir." JARVIS revealed.

"Can't it wait, JARVIS?" Tony asked. "We're kind of in the middle of something."

"I believe it may prove beneficial to your investigation, Mr. Stark."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"The place of origin is from Queens, specifically a police precinct near the suburbs."

"But why do you want _us_ to answer it?" Clint pressed.

"Because the caller mentioned that Spider-Man was with them, Mr. Barton."

Everyone froze upon hearing that, shocked expressions all around, but it was Captain America who stepped forward. "Put 'em through, Tony."

The leader nodded and pressed the green button, the current projection fading away and instead being replaced by that of a small room filled with police officers, but one individual stood out amongst the small group: a middle-aged man with white hair and wearing a blue suit, red tie, and an NYPD badge on the left side of his breast, who then proceeded to speak first.

" _This is Captain George Stacy of the New York Police Department, Queens division. To whom am I speaking?"_

Tony stood tall and cleared his throat. "This is Iron Man, leader of the Avengers."

George raised an eyebrow. _"I'm sorry, but I don't recognize your name or affiliation."_

That caught everyone off guard, their minds all sharing the same thought: _'He doesn't know who Tony is or even what the Avengers are?'_

Tony himself pushed that thought aside for now. "Regardless, we picked up your transmission, but you mentioned that Spider-Man was with you. Where is he now?"

George's eyes narrowed. _"What's your business with him?"_

By now, Steve had moved to stand next to Tony. "He's a friend of ours. Please, we only wish to speak with him."

The police captain stood firm for a moment longer before gesturing to the floor. _"He's right here, keeping our equipment running."_

A red-gloved hand then rose from the bottom of the screen and pointed at the officer, the owner speaking with youthful wit. _"You're lucky I don't charge by the hour."_

Steve felt a smile pull at his lips. "Spider-Man, is that you?"

It was then that up from the bottom of the screen arose a smaller, but clearly toned figure dressed in an iconic, albeit slightly damaged, red and blue spandex costume covered in a black web pattern with a matching spider symbol on his chest and wide, expressive white lenses on his mask.

Clint leaned in close to Widow. "Is it just me," he whispered, pointing his thumb at the hero on screen. "…or has he gotten shorter since we last saw him?"

Steve, however, was too focused on greeting the newest addition to the conversation. "It has been a long time, my friend. Good to see you again."

Spider-Man tilted his head in confusion before looking to the taller police captain next to him for answers, and all he got in return was a shrug. He then looked back to the Avengers and began scratching his neck nervously, making the veteran soldier frown in worry.

And what was said next was something nobody expected to hear from the reserve Avenger.

 _"Um, I'm sorry, but…do I know you?"_

 **Author's Note** :

*Back in Black, performed by AC/DC, was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Young and Brian Johnson. No copyright infringement intended.

DUN DUN DUN!

Man that took a while. I hope I detailed the fight scenes enough so you could all get a clear enough picture of it.

So how'd I do? Please leave a comment/review. Constructive criticism is both welcome and appreciated. And I know this is a little late to ask, but I'd appreciate it if you'd spread the word on this story if you feel it's worth a recommendation. Thank you.

Next time: Face front, true believer! We're about to get a glimpse of what the Avengers' next-door neighbors dealt with. Stay tuned.


	9. Back in Business Part 8

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

Peter was a mere inch away from grasping the handle on the front door of his aunt's house when he heard it, the thunderous voice from overhead that made him stop in his tracks and look up just in time to see the imposing silver sky begin to disappear, startling him so much that his backpack fell from his shoulder as his arms went limp from shock.

"How?" That was all he managed to say before he heard his phone ring and answered it. "Peter here."

" _Pete, it's Flash."_

"Flash? Listen, have you seen the sky yet?"

" _I have, but we got another problem."_

"What is it? And why are you whispering?"

" _Because the school is being held hostage."_

Peter gasped. "What? How, and by who?"

" _It happened right after the dome disappeared. You're lucky this was your day off, Pete. We all had shown up for our daily assignments but then the building got swarmed by these giant…werewolf-looking things. They came out of nowhere and are blocking all the exits from the outside: doors, windows, all of it. Nobody can get out."_

Peter felt his arm beginning to shake. "Are you all okay?"

" _Yeah. Me, Hobie, Randy, Kenny, the girls, we're all fine, and MJ's safe back home. We're stuck in the classrooms and the werewolves haven't made a move yet, they're just keeping us from escaping."_

Peter swallowed the lump building in his throat as a terrifying thought came to his mind. "Is…is Gwen with you too?"

There was a long pause on the other end. _"…She is. Harry too. The NYPD got here pretty quick and surrounded the building when Captain Stacy found that out. I can see a big crowd of people out the window; my…my mom's out there with 'em."_

Peter's teeth started to grow sore from how hard he was clenching them, only easing up when Flash spoke again.

" _But there's one more thing: the werewolves are taking orders from somebody."_

That got Pete's attention. "Who?"

" _Don't know. Never seen him before, but I did get a good look: he's dressed in a white coat and a bowler hat with a cane. He just finished explaining his terms to Stacy."_

"And what are they?"

He heard Flash let out a long sigh. _"…He won't hurt us unless Spider-Man doesn't show his face."_

Peter froze, his jaw going slack and his eyes widening as his mind began racing with a million different thoughts, none of them good. "That's why you called me?"

" _I'm sorry, Pete. I know you haven't seen him at all the past year, no one has, but you used to take pictures of him and the two of you seemed pretty tight before all this happened. Do you have any idea where he is right now? Where he could be?"_

Peter stared down at his open palm, his whole arm still trembling from the fear coursing through his veins in the absence of his abilities. "I…I don't know."

"… _That's okay, Pete. You're not the only one. Just sit tight and don't come near the school. Captain Stacy will think of something. Adios."_

The moment the line went dead Peter could no longer contain himself, throwing his phone to the ground so hard it shattered whilst he released a cry of fury.

' _Of all the times. Flash, Liz, even Harry…and Gwen. They need me. They're supposed to be my responsibility, this whole city is…but what can I do with no powers? What can I do?'_

His anger and frustration reaching a boiling point, he grabbed ahold of his own hair and began pulling the strands as he approached the front door once more.

"WHAT CAN I DO?" He shouted as he threw a punch at the wooden aperture of his home…

CRUNCH

…only for his fist to break right through the material and creating a sizable hole in it.

"Huh?" Peter asked aloud as he retracted his fist, expecting to see cuts and splinters along his knuckles, but instead saw only unbroken skin completely absent of any visible injuries, not even a dull throbbing sensation.

' _That didn't hurt.'_ He mentally noted before opening the door and stepping into his home.

All the lights were off and the silence was almost deafening as he took a few careful steps inside, hoping that if he wasn't alone, the house's other occupant didn't hear the little tantrum he just through.

"Aunt May, are you home?" He called out, receiving no response. "Am I missing something?"

He then turned his head to the small desk to his right and saw a note on top of it written in his aunt's handwriting.

"I'll be home about an hour after you return. Leftovers are in the fridge. Love, AM. Right, her midday walk. Forgot about that." Peter scolded himself. "Oh man, I am so grounded if she finds out what I did to that door."

He looked back down at his hand again and brought it close to his face, focusing on the prints of his fingers where he could see tiny, inhuman brown hairs with jagged edges growing out of them. He then cast a glance at the ceiling above him, then back to his hand, then back to the ceiling again, and upon deciding to throw caution to the wind, narrowed his eyes, clenched his fists, and jumped. In the split second it took him to travel between the floor and the ceiling, he threw out his open hands so they'd slap against the rough paint.

And they stuck.

Swinging his feet up, he planted them on the thick plaster and took a moment to see the house from an angle he hadn't experienced in quite some time.

' _They're back.'_ He then began crawling along the ceiling, making his way up the stairs towards his room. _'After all this time. Did…Did the dome have something to do with it?'_

Reaching his bedroom door, he dropped back down and opened it, stepping through and then closing it behind him before focusing his gaze on his bed…and what he knew was underneath it.

' _It doesn't matter right now.'_

He slowly approached the bed, reached under it, and pulled out an old suitcase, blowing the dust off of it before removing the lock and flipping it open. He gazed at its contents for several moments before taking the red and blue material in his hands and lifting it to eye level, rubbing his thumb along the black spider symbol in the center.

' _There's nothing I can do for my friends, but there's plenty you can do.'_

(X)

 **Streets outside Midtown High…**

"Keep those people back!"

Captain Stacy pointed to a couple of civilians trying to climb over the barricade his fellow officers had erected around the school. Two policemen next to him immediately ran over to them and dragged them back to safety. Looking back to the school, he shivered at the sight of those creature crawling along the outside like insects: each were about the size of a semi-truck on average, with pitch-black fur and bone-protrusions coming out of their spine and joints, but what really scared him were their bone-like masks and glowing red eyes. Every time a student got close to a window, one of those things would snarl at them, scaring them away from any escape attempts.

The last person to try was Gwen, and that was ten minutes ago. He hadn't seen any sign of her since.

"Spider-Man, if you're out there, we could really use your help. Please."

THWIP

The unmistakable sound made him do a 180 and come face-to-face with the wide, expressive lenses of the very man he just called for.

"Okay then, but only because you asked nicely."

"Spider-Man?" Stacy was almost too shocked for words as the web-slinging hero let go of his web line and dropped to the ground. "Where have you been this past year?"

Spider rubbed his neck awkwardly. "This is going to sound crazy, but I lost my powers after the dome came down. I don't know how or why, but for the last twelve months I've been…normal." He finished with a shrug.

George raised an eyebrow. "And you just got them back right when the dome vanished and these things showed up?" He gestured over his shoulder with a thumb. "That seems pretty…"

"Convenient? Yeah, I know. And I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help you get everything under control, but from the looks of things, you did pretty okay."

The police captain allowed himself a small smile. "Thanks, but any further praise will have to wait."

He turned and pointed at the school, the shorter hero moving to stand next to him. "In case you didn't hear, the school is covered head to toe in these weird creatures. We're calling them 'werewolves' for simplicity's sake. They haven't harmed the students and staff yet but are keeping them from getting out, and they have a leader; some guy in a bowler hat. He didn't give us his name, but he demanded to speak with you or else he'll tell his 'pets' to chow down on the kids."

Spider-Man scowled. "Any idea where he is right now?"

"We've got snipers all around the perimeter keeping an eye on things. They've spotted him in the courtyard waiting for you. I told my boys not to shoot fearing it might rile up the werewolves into attacking the hostages."

"I'm going in. Alone. Keep your men back unless the worst happens." The young hero's declaration was immediately followed by him jumping over the barricade.

"Spider-Man, wait." He turned back to the captain whose worry showed on his face. "It's good to have you back, but…my daughter's in there too."

"I'll bring her back. I'll bring them _all_ back."

And with that, he turned and fired a web line that he used to swing himself over the front gate of the school as murmurs began to grow in the crowd about the return of their hero, George himself remaining stoic as he watched him leave.

"Good luck, son." He muttered.

(X)

 **Courtyard…**

The moment both his feet and the fingertips of his right hand touched the ground, Spider-Man was on alert, slowly scanning the immediate area and taking in every detail of the place he often ate lunch at with his friends, but finding no trace of the supposed "bowler hat guy," just empty tables and discarded trash caught in a light breeze. Slowly standing up, he lifted his gaze to observe the werewolves, which, upon his arrival, had stopped crawling across the building and were now staring down at him, their glowing red eyes boring into his whilst they let out a menacing growl.

"Good doggie?" He raised his hands and took a cautious step back.

A loud, amused laugh to his right then caught his attention, and so he turned and saw a man sitting at a picnic table that he was sure was empty moments ago, but let it slide as he took in the details of the flamboyant individual several feet away from him.

' _White coat. Bowler hat. Cane. Yep, this is the guy.'_

He was currently hunched over as he laughed, but soon took a deep breath and lifted his head, revealing more of his person starting with his long orange hair cascading down the right side of his face, his only visible eye sporting some type of mascara, oddly enough. A small, gray scarf was wrapped around his neck while black leather cloves concealed his hands, with neatly pressed black pants and rather stylish shoes adorning his lower half. The feather sticking out of his hat topped the wardrobe off as it fluttered in the light breeze, and Spider-Man almost didn't notice the lit cigar held between his teeth.

All in all, Spider-Man would honestly consider this man a textbook example of "classy," if he wasn't a bad guy, that is.

The man smirked before removing his cigar and releasing a big puff of smoke from his mouth. "Those aren't your typical canines, as you can clearly see."

Peter knew he had to get into the school as soon as he could, but decided to play along for now until he knew exactly what he was dealing with.

"Well, yeah, but where'd you get them from, anyway? Forks, Washington? Please don't tell me you named one of them 'Jacob,' because that would NOT be a very good idea, Mister...?"

"The name's Torchwick." He boasted, standing up and resting both his hands on top of his cane, his cigar held firmly between his fingers. "Roman Torchwick."

Spidey gave a mock bow. "The pleasure is all yours."

"Indeed, although I have to admit, I wasn't expecting someone calling himself 'Spider-Man' to be so…scrawny, or dress himself in his pajamas and pass them off as a costume, no less."

"Hey, I hand-stitched this outfit myself, pal!"

"You actually make your own underwear? Hah! That must save your parents a lot of money on birthday presents."

Spidey face-palmed as he let out an annoyed groan. "Okay, let's cut to the chase. What do you want with this school, and with me?"

Roman's smirk grew bigger. "You see, Underoos, I'm a gambling man, and when I heard about you, I wagered that my associates and I could get a few good laughs watching you get squashed."

To illustrate, he dropped his cigar on the ground and smushed it beneath his cane. "Buuut if you somehow manage to win, I might consider letting all those little schoolkids go free. So whaddya say? Deal or no deal?"

The web-slinger clenched his fists as he cast a quick glance back to the werewolves and the frightened students looking out the windows. "Do I have a choice?"

Roman's expression became thoughtful. "Mmmm…no."

"I thought so." The wall-crawler sighed before taking a fighting stance. "So, whose turn is it to go first?"

Roman didn't move a muscle. "Hers."

"I'm sorry?"

Then he felt it, the familiar ringing in the back of his skull.

Spider-sense.

Danger.

Right behind him.

Bending backwards until he felt the back of his head touch the ground, he just barely avoided getting impaled by a blade protruding from the tip of a…folded umbrella?

He grabbed it with both hands and then tilted his head back even further so he could come face to upside-down face with its owner: a rather cute girl with pretty hair divided down the middle, one half colored pink with white streaks and the other a chocolate brown. She grinned at him before she blinked and her eyes, each one the same hue as one half of her hair, switched colors, and then she proceeded to twirl her body through the air, spinning Spidey along with her until both their feet were planted on the ground again right side up.

Still holding the umbrella, Spidey allowed himself to get distracted by the blade retracting back into it long enough for her to open the parasol and make him lose his grip. The smaller girl then closed it again right as she delivered a crescent kick to the side of his face that sent him spinning in a complete circle. When he stopped, it was to receive a drop kick straight to his torso that sent him sailing back and crashing into another picnic table, while she performed a backflip and landed perfectly on the table across from him, folding one leg over her other as she opened the umbrella again and rested it on her shoulder all in one fluid motion, grinning smugly all the while.

Roman stepped closer to his little accomplice, twirling his cane nonchalantly. "Feel like throwing in the towel yet, Pajama-Boy?"

Spider-Man quickly jumped to his feet and dusted himself off. "In your dreams, Matchstick."

He then fired a volley of web bullets that the girl blocked with her umbrella while he used his other hand to snag the table behind him on another web line and throw it at them as well, but neither Roman nor his sidekick bothered to get out of the way, their grins remaining constant even as the table impacted them. Then to Spidey's complete shock, right when the table made contact, both individuals seemed to shatter like glass, the thousands of pieces that made up their bodies falling to the ground before dissolving into thin air.

"Uh, did I do that?" He then felt his head throb and gave it a little rub. "Ow, I think Little Miss Sundae gave me a brain freeze with that kick."

A loud creaking sound caught his ears and so he turned to see the front door to the school open slowly. "Oh, I get it: they borrowed a page out of Mysterio's playbook. Well, at least now I can check if everyone's alright."

He walked up the front steps and was just about to cross the threshold when the werewolf perched above it growled down at him, but made no move to stop him from entering.

"I'll play fetch with you later."

Upon entering, he kept his stride slow enough so he could check the classrooms for their captive occupants. Every time he neared a door, he'd pause for a moment to see if there was anyone inside. Most of the time there were, and he felt his heart sink at the sight of their frightened, if not outright shocked faces and muffled gasps, responding with placing his finger over his lips and shushing them, whispering that they'd all be okay as he quickly passed them by.

And for the longest time, Gwen was nowhere to be found.

But one voice in particular made him stop in his tracks.

"Yo Spidey!" He turned to the left and saw Flash Thompson pressing his face against the narrow glass of the window. "I knew it! I knew you'd come back!"

Flash's eyes were on the verge of tears as Spidey approached him and then spoke back through the glass. "Hey, I remember you. The guy who distracted Venom for me, right? With a broken leg and using crutches, even."

"You remember me?"

"Of course I do. You're my number one fan."

Flash's smile brightened before he was suddenly shoved out of the way by another blonde individual. "Where have you been, web-head? Do you have any idea what we've all been through the past year?"

Sally's outburst made the web-slinger raise his hands in defense. "Okay look, I'm sorry that I disappeared, but my powers decided to go on vacation when the dome came down. I've been living life as a normal guy ever since." He lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you guys, and for this city."

Sally was then promptly pushed aside by Flash, returning her earlier gesture. "Hey, don't sweat it man. You're here now; that's good enough, for most of us anyway."

Upon hearing that, Peter's smile grew so wide his face hurt beneath his mask. "Thanks. But real quick, Captain Stacy asked me to check to see if his daughter was safe. Is she in there with you?"

Flash stepped to the side to allow him a better view of the classroom. "Yeah, she is."

Spidey stepped closer to the window and peered inside, catching glimpses of Hobie, then Randy, Liz, Kenny, Glory, and finally Sha Shan, all of them looking no worse for wear.

But then his vision traveled to the far side of the room from the door, and that's when he saw _her_.

She was standing next to the window leading outside, her blonde hair catching the rays of the early afternoon sun, giving the strands the appearance of a golden waterfall cascading down from the pink headband atop her head. Her cheeks had a slight pink tint to them, but it was nothing compared to her full lips, and her eyes sparkled like the sapphire shores of a tropical beach.

Even though she was clearly frightened by today's events, she cracked a small, relieved smile when she saw him, and the sight took his breath away…until it became obstructed by a very cross-looking Harry who stepped into his line of sight, blocking his view, the glare he sent the web-slinger's way powerful enough to drive nails.

"…Good." Spider-Man released a breath he'd been holding and looked around the room again. "Now, I know things look bad, but I need you all to stay put while I deal with this. I'll be back soon."

He only took half a step before Flash called him back. "Wait Spidey, there's somebody roaming the halls."

"You mean Roman?"

"Who?"

"Mr. Bowler Hat."

Flash shook his head. "No, someone else."

 _RIIIIIIIING_

The spider-sense reactivated, directing its wielder's vision down the hall where a lone figure stood in the distance.

"Did this somebody have gray hair and a blueish shirt?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because I'm looking at him right now." The lenses of his mask narrowed as he gave his friend one last look. "All of you stay here, and keep your heads down."

As he walked away, he heard Flash and a few other students call out to him. "Kick their butts, Spider-Man!"

"Count on it, Flash." Peter muttered as he picked up the pace, the figure down the hall approaching him at a similar speed until they both stopped about fifteen feet away from each other.

Now that he was closer, Spider-Man could get a good look at his newest obstacle. The teenager in front of him was wearing a cobalt and black two-tone partial-zip jacket with gray armor pieces covering his shoulders and forearms, a single-notch belt with some kind of sash hanging off it, black pants, and large oddly-shaped boots.

Judging by his smirk, he knew that this guy was in cahoots with Roman. They stared each other down for a brief moment before the spider-themed hero stepped to the right, appearing as if he was trying to move past, only for the new guy to step to his left at the same moment, blocking him. They repeated this a couple more times back and forth before Peter gave up.

"So I take it you're the hall monitor, then? Well, I'm sorry, but I left my hall pass in my other pants."

"Then I guess I'll have to write you a ticket." The gray-haired teen told him before stepping back and raising his right knee, the movement causing his boot to emit a strange, but recognizable sound.

CHIK-CHOK

Peter's lenses widened. "No way."

BANG

"Whoah!" Jumping upward and planting himself on the ceiling, he barely avoided the silver projectile launched from his opponent's foot. "Gun-boots? Seriously?"

Using the same leg, the gray-haired teen released several more shots via consecutive rapid-fire kicks aimed at the hero, forcing the latter to leap from wall to wall, ceiling to floor, then back again numerous time to avoid getting hit. Within thirty seconds the hallway was riddled with smoking hollows left in the wake of the villain's attack, each as big as Spider-Man's head, who spared a glance back the way he came, worried that some of those shots might have traveled a little too far and gotten close to his friends down the hall. But then his spider-sense flared again, compelling him to perform a back flip lest he get hit by the axe kick his foe was about to bring down on him.

Springing off his hands and onto his feet, Spider-Man crouched low as his opponent lowered his foot, his smirk remaining etched onto his face as he shuffled his feet in anticipation.

"Alright, 'Cobalt Kicker,' let's boogie."

His first act was to fire a volley of web bullets at his opponent, who promptly did a mid-air barrel roll to avoid them, giving Spider-Man enough time to close the distance and throw a punch. Cobalt deflected it with his elbow before trying his own right hook that Spidey caught and twisted, both combatants then throwing another punch simultaneously that rebounded off each other's fist and made the wall-crawler wince in pain, which was all Cobalt needed to grab his shoulder and force him to bend over so his head would make contact with his knee.

And for a brief second, Spider-Man could've sworn he heard a muffled "clang" sound when his noggin smacked against the appendage.

Cobalt then followed up his previous attack with a kick to his ribs, then another aimed at the web-slinger's head which he grabbed, both fighters staring at each other for a moment before hitting one another with a push kick that sent them both stumbling back.

' _Normal knees don't 'clang.''_ The hero mentally observed, ignoring his throbbing cranium. _'No wonder he hits so hard: his legs must be some kind of metal prosthetic.'_

Cobalt then rushed forward and performed a front kick that Spider-Man bent backwards to dodge, but then the gray-haired villain twisted his extended leg and slammed it onto the floor so hard it cratered. Thankfully Spidey was fast enough to roll out of the way…only for his opponent to springboard off a locker and hit him square in the stomach with a flying drop kick that sent him sailing back until he collided with the railway of the stairs leading to the upper levels of the school.

Looking up, he got an idea. _'The science lab.'_

He looked back down to see another flying kick heading his way, so he back-flipped over the railing and then jumped up to the one two levels above him, hanging over the side as he looked down at his enemy.

"Y'know, have you ever considered running track? Because as far as hall monitors come, you're the absolute worst."

For the first time, Cobalt's smug grin vanished and was replaced with an irritated scowl before he brought his feet together, crouched low, and then used the force of his gun-boots to launch himself at Spider-Man like a rocket, performing a front flip at the apex before slamming his foot down again, but Spidey managed to avoid that also as he back-flipped into the next hallway. When Cobalt caught up with him, he unleashed a flurry of kicks with greater speed than he showed previously. Spidey was forced to use all of his reflexes and agility to dodge the onslaught.

But then he got a closer look at his opponent's fighting style, specifically how he alternated between using both his hands for support as he spun around and around with each kick, and realized something.

' _Are we breakdance-fighting?'_

They totally were.

Spider-Man soon found himself balancing upside-down on one hand for a moment as he threw a few kicks of his own meant to block Cobalt's.

"~Slick slick, dye-no-mite~…"

He then performed a handspring to avoid his enemy's sweeping strike, flipping through the air and attempting to bring both his feet down on him, missing by that much.

"~My moves are pretty rad, am I~…"

BANG

The next thing he heard and felt was Cobalt kicking him square in the chest, his gun-boot firing off a round for extra damage. Spider-Man felt like he had been hit by a truck as the force of the blow sent him crashing through the door of the science lab and skidding across a table, knocking over books and dust-covered equipment as he went.

"…right?" He groaned as he rolled off the table, landing right on his face.

He slowly rolled over onto his back only to have an armored boot press down on his neck, Cobalt standing over him triumphantly.

"Not quite." He slowly increased the pressure on the hero's windpipe. "Ready to get stomped?"

With his eyes concealed by his lenses, Spider-Man was able to hide the fact that he had noticed the very thing he was looking for in the lab currently resting right under the table next to him. He looked back to Cobalt and scowled at the sight of his smug expression.

THWIP

Without taking his eyes off his foe, he snagged the hose of an unused tank of liquid nitrogen, jammed the metal tip into Cobalt's knee, and pulled the release handle. The effect was almost instantaneous as the villain's robotic leg began to freeze from the inside-out, a thin layer frost forming along the fabric of his pants. Rearing his free hand back, Spidey then delivered a fierce punch to the frozen appendage, the point of impact shattering with little resistance and sending both the robotic limb and its previous owner tumbling to the floor.

Standing up as quickly as he could, hose still in hand, Spidey caught Cobalt's next kick aimed at his head, flinching when another round went off. He then repeated the process of amputating his foe's other mechanized limb, freezing it at the knee before breaking it off while Cobalt himself struggled to break loose. With his opponent's two greatest assets now gone, Spider-Man then proceeded to slam him down onto another table before throwing the gray-haired teen across the room and into the chalkboard, sticking him to it with a large, thick blast of webbing.

"That'll hold you for a while." But then his ears picked up a noise drifting into the lab from the hallway: it was distant, and sounded almost like someone was…crying?

' _I'd better check that out.'_

"You stay here, Footloose. I've got something to do before I meet with your boss."

And so he strolled out of the room, unaware that now he was no longer looking, Cobalt's grin had changed from smug to knowing.

(X)

 **Performing Arts Center…**

Spider-Man stood before the entrance to the school's own personal theatre, dwelling place of the music and drama clubs back in the day, now a hang-out spot for bored teens. He had followed the sobs and pleas for help all the way here, and he could still hear them now, albeit muffled, on the other side of the thick double-doors.

He reached for the door handles, but felt his spider-sense go off again right as he grabbed hold, startling him enough to release his grip.

' _Danger? Roman could be waiting for me. Maybe I can find another way…'_

"H-help…m-m-me." Came a pained voice from beyond the doors.

He dropped the idea of finding an alternate route in an instant and threw the doors open. _'I hope he rolled out the red carpet, then.'_

To his annoyance, nearly all of the lights inside were off, but that was understandable since the only times this area of the school were ever used was when students and/or staff needed a place to chill during their breaks from their assigned duties. He squinted his eyes to make it easier for them to adjust to the dimmer atmosphere while his nose took in the scent of the dusty worn chairs where the audience would sit. He walked forward a few more steps until he came to the part where the path split off in two different directions leading around the seats, and upon looking ahead to the stage, the only area where the lights were on, he saw the troubled person whose call for aid brought him here.

It was a teenaged girl, about a couple of years younger than Peter from the looks of it, with long black hair and wearing a simple white t-shirt underneath a black leather jacket plus a blue denim skirt. Her face was buried in her hands as she sobbed, only stopping to wipe the tears from her eyes before covering her face again, seemingly oblivious to the hero's presence.

Opting for the faster route as opposed to walking around, Spidey utilized his superior balance as he walked along the backs of the chairs in a straight path to the stage, catching glimpses of discarded pop cans and other garbage littered about as he went, but when he reached the halfway point, his spider-sense acted up again, ringing louder and stronger than before.

' _I know, okay? But she needs my help.'_

Leaping over the gap between himself and the stage, he approached the sobbing teen slowly, and once he was close enough, she finally turned to look at him as he got down on one knee and offered his hand, which she stared at like it was a poisonous snake ready to strike.

"It's okay." He spoke softly to her. "I'm here to take you someplace safe."

' _As safe as you can be in a building covered in werewolves, anyway.'_

The girl sniffed twice before slowly extending her own hand, Spidey grinning behind his mask as she appeared to accept his gesture.

CREAK

His ears almost didn't pick it up, but he knew he heard it. He snapped his head to the left and fixed his gaze on the floorboards, and to the untrained eye, it would appear at first glance as if nothing was out of the ordinary, but Peter was far more observant, and noticed that one of the boards was indented.

"C'mon, we need to get out of…"

He turned back to the girl just in time to see her vanish into thin air.

"Huh?"

CREAK

 _RIIIIIIIING_

Reacting to the prompt, he somersaulted forward just in time to avoid getting sliced by a pair of curved green swords aimed at his head, and once he managed to stand upright, he saw the culprit who wielded them: a dark-skinned girl with mint-green hair and red eyes, but it was her attire that baffled him the most. She wore an intricate, revealing white top with a shallow-cut olive undershirt, white pants covered by brown chaps and supported by twice-wrapped belt, and green armbands.

He stared at her whilst she twirled her blades round and round in her palms, and once he caught his breath, addressed the big issue currently at the forefront of his mind.

"Y'know it's against school policy to bear your midriff, right?"

Aside from the fact that she just tried to kill him, obviously.

She merely smirked at his criticism. "Not where I come from, shorty."

"C'mon, I may be short, but my brain is YIKES!"

The next thing he knew, she had swung her blades (now revealed to also be chain-whips) at him widely, the tips carving deep scratches into the wall behind him as he bounded over her in an impressive acrobatic maneuver to avoid getting vivisected. The moment his feet touched down on the backs of the audience chairs again, he looked over his shoulder to see her retracting her whips before the blades folded inward, their new shape easily recognized by the web-slinging hero.

' _And they're also guns. Neato.'_

She twirled each of them on her index fingers before taking aim and firing, Spider-Man leaping out of the way while the unfortunate chairs were shattered to pieces with each blast he avoided. Her shots were incredibly accurate and her bullets always missed their mark by just a hair, but he knew best how to keep himself focused as he bobbed and weaved to avoid having a new hole blasted onto his body.

"~Now, this is a story all about how, my life got flipped-turned upside down…~"

Thankfully, he got a moments' reprieve when she paused to reload, giving him enough time to notice the bar high above her that the curtains hung off of, which he then grabbed with two web lines.

"~…And I'd like to take a moment, give me a chance…~"

He pulled, the bar snapping from place as both it and the curtains came crashing down atop the villainess. She struggled to throw the heavy red fabric off herself until she got fed up and opted for simply cutting her way out, reducing the curtain to ribbons. Now that she was free, she quickly pointed her guns at her target's last known location, but he was nowhere to be seen amongst the destroyed seats.

"~…To plant my boot square in the back of your pants.~"

Looking to the grafters above her, she saw the red and blue hero diving straight for her with one foot extended, so she cartwheeled out of the way and then threw one of her whip-chains at him again, succeeding in slashing his right shoulder before he grabbed hold of the offending object. Smirking, she lifted her other gun and prepared to fire, only for Spidey to jam the barrel with a pinpoint accurate web bullet, rendering it useless. She then felt him capture her left shoulder on another web line, leading to a short but fierce tug-of-war between the two as they struggled to overpower the other.

Waiting for her to pull as hard as she could, Spider-Man then released his grip on the chain, causing it to sail back and accidentally hit its owner upside her head with the blunt end, making her to stagger back a few steps. With his web line still latched onto her shoulder, Spidey then reeled her in like a fish and delivered a powerful kick that sent her careening sideways until she smacked against the wall at the back of the stage. One strong blast of webbing later and she was subdued for the time being.

Spidey sealed the cut on his shoulder with another glob of webbing, the chemicals stinging the wound and making him hiss in pain as he approached his downed foe, kicking her gun away after he stepped on it and tossing her other one off to the side and out of her reach.

"So, what do I call you? 'Green Gunslinger?' Seems appropriate."

She glared at him before her lips curled into a smirk, and the next thing Spider-Man knew was that the whole auditorium had been replaced with a dark, creepy forest, glowing red eyes piercing the darkness between the trees around him as lightning struck overhead.

"Yeah, good try."

Allowing his spider-sense to guide him, he walked forward a few paces towards a rotting tree where the top half of a moaning skeleton was crawling out of its base…and then bonked the undead creature on its head.

"Ow." It spat in a female voice.

Instantly, the illusion faded away and he was back in the performing arts center with the villainess ensnared by his webbing in front of him. When she looked back up to him, she squinted her eyes as she concentrated again, only for them to suddenly get covered by his webbing.

"Sorry Cowgirl, but this school ain't big enough for the two of us."

"Ugh, you're worse than Mercury." She muttered through gritted teeth.

"Mercury?" His lenses widened in realization. "You mean Cobalt? Oh I get it: he's your 'partner,' if you catch my drift."

"…I-It's not like that!"

"You hesitated."

"Shut up, you mmph?"

She was silenced by another glob of webbing getting slapped over her mouth, Spider-Man placing his hands on his hips and sighing in annoyance.

"Now look, I'm growing tired of putting up with you guys, so how about this: if you tell me where I can find Roman, I'll let you go."

She clearly wasn't expecting him to say that. "Pheerphee?"*

He placed his hand over his heart. "Do I look like the kind of guy who'd lie to you?" She growled in response. "Right, forget I asked. But yes, I'm serious."

She paused for a moment before giving him a slow nod, and so he ripped the webbing off her mouth like a Band-Aid. "Agh. They're in the gym, waiting for you, okay?"

"Gee, thanks."

THWIP

She once again found her eyes concealed by the sticky material. "What the…? You said you'd let me go!"

"But I never said when, or to whom for that matter." He then fired a web line at the ceiling and swung back accross the auditorium, making for the exit. Once the threshold was crossed, he spun around and grabbed the door handles again. "I'll send in the cops to pick you up after this is over. Tootles."

"YOU SON OF A…"

SLAM

(X)

 **Gym…**

Opting for the "loud and noisy" type of entrance to save time, Spider-Man kicked the doors in and power-walked inside, his eagerness to get this over with heightening his aggression.

"Alright Roman, here I am!" He shouted as he stopped in the very center of the room. "Let's get this show on the road. C'mon, what're you waitin' for?"

 _RIIIIIING_

BANG

Cartwheeling to the left, he barely avoided a glowing red projectile that exploded upon contact with the floor, leaving a large smoking hole where he once stood. Turning toward the point of origin, he saw Roman standing on the top row of the bleachers pointing his cane down at him, a targeting reticule resting above the now smoking barrel on its bottom.

"An easy target." The criminal answered.

"Where do you guys get your ideas for such crazy gizmos?" Spidey inquired.

Roman began twirling his cane again as he walked down the steps. "Rule number one about Vale: every single weapon is also a gun."

The red and blue hero tilted his head. "Vale? Never heard of it."

"A lovely little town on the west coast, full of all sorts of people, and all of them equally robbable. A perfect place for guys like me to hone our craft."

Spider-Man scowled as Roman reached the bottom of the stairs. "After today, the only craft you'll be honing is building rafts out of toothpicks to try and escape from Rikers Island and failing repeatedly."

Roman chuckled darkly. "Wanna bet?"

Spider-Man then fired a web line from each of his wrists that latched onto the bleachers behind the classy criminal as he ducked to avoid them. Pulling the lines taught, Spidey catapulted himself forward, his fist drawn back for a strike, only for Roman's sidekick to suddenly vault over her boss's back and kick the web-slinger in the face, sending him sprawling back and performing a handspring just in time to see the girl charging at him with a manic grin on her face. When she was close enough, he threw a punch, only to be caught off guard by a sudden flash of light that blinded him momentarily.

Taking advantage of his opponent's vulnerability, Roman lifted his cane and fired another shot. His sidekick saw it coming and so ducked out of the way, allowing the round to pass over her and hit Spider-Man in his shoulder, the force of the impact causing him to spin around uncontrollably, and once his back was turned, the girl used the curved handle of her umbrella to grab his neck and throw him over her shoulder in Roman's direction. Smirking confidently, the classy criminal then threw his cane on the ground right as he pulled the trigger, the blast launching it forward like a rocket and impacting Spidey just as hard, sending the wall-crawler skidding across the floor until he stopped at the feet of the girl, who peered down at him with an amused grin.

But Peter wasn't done yet as he sprung back to his feet before spinning on his heel and throwing a series of swift jabs at her, all of which she dodged almost casually as he shifted her hips from side to side, and when he finally did land a blow, her form broke into pieces again just like earlier. His spider-sense then warned him of danger approaching from behind, but his already exhausted body interfered with his reaction time, because by the time he turned around again, Roman had already swung his cane and smacked him upside the face. He barely had time to say "ow" before Roman swung back and hit him again, then jammed the cane into his stomach and fired at point-blank range. The impact knocked the wind out of our hero as he landed hard on his back.

' _I'm rustier than a hundred year-old nail.'_ He mentally chided himself.

Bruised, worn out, and struggling for air, Spider-Man could only groan as he watched the girl approach, her left eye having turned pure white as she extended her umbrella's blade and dragged it along the floor before holding the tip to his throat. A boisterous laugh made him turn his head again to see Roman standing over him triumphantly.

"I may be a gambling man, Underoos, but even I know there are some bets you just don't take. Although, I should thank you for giving us a good show like we wanted."

Spider-Man snarled and tried to lift himself up, only for Roman to stomp on his chest, forcing him back to the ground.

"But don't you worry." The villain went on as he pointed his cane at Peter's head. "Your fans will make excellent chew toys for our little furry friends."

Peter paused his struggling as the implications of what Roman said rung in his brain. His heart beat faster, his forehead began to sweat, and he clenched his fists so tight that his nails almost tore through the fabric of his gloves.

Putting all his rage into his speed, Spider-Man grabbed the end of Roman's cane in one hand and the girl's blade in the other, the latter cutting into his palm but the pain going ignored. Both villains struggled to pull their weapons free from his grip, but that only made him squeeze harder until he snapped the blade in two. Taking advantage of their shock, he then fired a web line at one of the large lamps hanging from the ceiling and pulled it down, all three combatants moving out of the way before it crashed on top of them. With his web line still attached to it, Spider-Man then swung the lamp around until it smacked into Roman, sending him careening off to the side and crashing into the bleachers.

It was then that Spidey refocused on the girl who was scowling at him, her eyes shifting color again as she blinked.

' _She can't trick me if I can't even see her illusions.'_

Recalling the last time he was in a situation like this, the web-slinger quickly wrapped his head in a makeshift webbing mask, giving himself completely over to his spider-sense to compensate for the impairment of all the others.

The girl tilted her head, rather dumbstruck by her foe's actions, before sprinting forward and attempting a flying kick aimed at his face, only for the blinded hero to grab her ankle and squeeze it hard. He then slammed his other fist down onto her outstretched leg, embedding it into the floor and leaving her a sitting duck for what came next.

Now, normally whenever Peter fought his opponents, his goal was to deliver enough damage so they'd either surrender, or on other occasions, pass out from exhaustion. But as he continued to throw punch after punch aimed at her upper body, along with a few knee jabs and kicks here and there, it became apparent that, in his rage, he wasn't inflicting pain on the dual-eyed villainess for the sake of disabling her.

He was inflicting pain on her just for the sake of making her _hurt_.

He grit his teeth harder and harder as his frustration over Gwen staying with Harry, the grief he felt over breaking up with Liz, and his number one desire to protect them all despite the issues between them made him re-double his efforts to pummel his foe into submission, culminating in a roundhouse kick of his own aimed at her head. She raised her umbrella to try and defend herself, but his foot broke it in half upon impact before making contact with her face.

She was out cold before she hit the ground, after which Spidey webbed her up.

By that point, an irate Roman had crawled out of the wrecked bleachers and taken aim with his cane again, only for Spidey to clog the barrel with a web line which he then used to yank the villain towards him, grabbing him by the collar and leaning in close to his face.

"Bet on this, Blowtorch!"

He then drew his fist back, bent his knees, and with a cry of rage delivered a vicious uppercut to Roman's jaw, sending him crashing into one of the basketball hoops, and as he fell to the floor, his body became wrapped in a cocoon of artificial spider silk, rendering him helpless as he hung upside down, his cane clattering to the floor along with his hat.

Spider-Man took a moment to catch his breath as he removed the webbing from his head. Once free, he stared down at his cut and slightly bleeding hand in shock. He had only lost his cool like that two other times in his life, the first being when he cornered Uncle Ben's killer.

The second was the night he took Harry's father away from him.

Pushing his guilt aside, he put on a forced smile (not that anyone could see it anyway), and approached the dangling man, whose attempts to break free inadvertently made him swing from side to side. Upon noticing Spider-Man standing before him with his arms crossed, he grit his teeth and snarled.

"Well, it looks like I won, huh?" Spidey declared. He then noticed Roman's fallen belongings lying on the ground and decided to indulge himself. "Now to claim my prize; watching you squirm."

He reached down and picked up the items, placed the hat upon his head, spun around and then tapped the curved end of cane on the ground three times.

"Come one, come all! Live from Midtown, its New York's most dastardly dapper delinquent and his ice cream girl sidekick: SIR ROOOMAAAN CAAANNNDLLLE!"

"It's 'Torchwick,' you slimly little…"

THWIP

"…mmmph?"

"Shush." Peter whispered over his shoulder. "Yours is a non-speaking role."

While Roman growled angrily, Peter resumed his impromptu performance. "Let's give him a big hand, people. Let me hear it!"

CLAP

CLAP

CLAP

"…Huh?"

He didn't expect anyone to actually applaud, as he thought the only people in the room were himself and his two fallen foes, but when he shifted his gaze back to the bleachers, he beheld the only spectator to his big debut sitting on the bottom row while applauding in a slow, seemingly mocking manner.

And as far as his eyes were concerned, she was the most visually stunning supervillain he'd ever seen, so much so that his jaw went slack as he cataloged every aspect of her appearance.

' _Whoah. Black Cat would be jealous.'_

Featuring ashen-black hair, bright amber eyes, and wearing a dark-red minidress with a blue feather-like thing on her right hip, she ceased her clapping, placed her hands on the bench for support and then leaned back while crossing one of her tantalizing long and bare legs over the other.

"How very entertaining." She quipped.

"…Thank you?" Spidey spoke as he adjusted his borrowed hat. "So, um, you're with Roman, I take it?"

She let out an amused chuckle. "Actually, he's with me."

"Oh, so he got his makeup from you I take it?" He felt the front of the hat dip and so pushed it back up with his finger. "Well, at least you have good taste."

"Cute."

"Eh, I thought it was alright. What about you Roman? Did you think it was alright?"

"Mm phmm mmphmm."*

"He thought it was alright." He turned back to the woman and put on his "serious" face. "So, are you here to fight? Because I wouldn't want to scuff up that expensive-looking outfit of yours."

"I am simply here to spectate and enjoy the show, but I'm afraid your little production is about to be cancelled."

Peter had never been so frightened by a smirk in his entire life until he saw the one that manifested on her stunning, but scary face.

"After all, my pets have gone all day without a meal, and I wouldn't be a good master if I didn't provide for them, now would I?"

When she raised her right hand and pressed her thumb and index finger together, Peter threw out his own hand and stopped her from going any further.

"Hey, Roman and I had a deal, remember?"

"Indeed, but I made no such bargain with you." Here eyes then shone with fiery light. "But at least allow me to thank you for alleviating our boredom for a short time. Ciao."

Immediately after she snapped her fingers, a bright white light bathed the entire gym, blinding our hero for a moment until it died down, at which point he noticed that the room's other occupants had disappeared; even the hat and cane in his possession were now gone.

But he had bigger problems to worry about.

"ROAR!"

"Oh no."

His spider-sense went off the charts as the numerous cries of the demonic-looking beasts echoed throughout the halls along with the screams of the frightened students and staff still trapped inside the school. He sprinted out of the gym, crashing through the doors in the process, and was greeted by the sight of terrified students pressing their backs against the lockers while the staff members tried to force the classroom door across from them to stay shut as a werewolf tried to claw his way through.

"Get back!"

He shoved the group out of the way and took up the reigns of trying to keep the door closed, but suddenly the door exploded as the monster pushed its way through, sending wood splinters in all directions and Spidey himself crashing into the lockers behind him. He stood up to see the werewolf slowly advancing towards him and the innocents to his left and right as drool flowed from its mouth. Throwing both his hands out, the young hero squeezed the triggers on his wrists to try and ensnare the beast in his webbing, but all that came out was a small spurt followed by a low hissing sound.

' _Empty? No, not now.'_

The reality of the situation made him clench his fists as his eyes grew misty. The creature was getting closer, and the civilians on both sides of him had nowhere to go. He was the last line of defense, but outnumbered and nowhere near fast enough to get to protect all of the students spread out around the school, no doubt trapped in similar dire circumstances like he was. He might be able to protect the few people in close proximity to himself, but what would happen to his friends on the other side of the school without him there? What would happen to Gwen?

' _I'm sorry, guys.'_

He planted his feet and drew his fist back.

The werewolf opened its jaws wide and lunged…but suddenly stopped cold.

"Huh?" The students around Peter were equally confused.

Then he looked down and saw what restrained the beast: a massive fist large enough to wrap around the creature's torso and arms, completely impairing its movement.

A massive fist made completely out of _sand_.

' _It can't be.'_

With a frightened whimper, the werewolf was yanked back through the door, out the window, and then vanished. The entire hallway grew silent except for the labored breathing of the students and staff next to our hero. Spider-Man then slowly stepped forward and peered into the now vacant classroom, his eyes focusing on the shattered window across from him.

' _He's alive? Then why did he help us?'_

He looked over his shoulder just as another student approached him ahead of the others. "Are they gone?"

"I think so. Follow me and stay close."

And so began his trek throughout the entirety of the school's interior, making sure to stop by every single classroom to check for any occupants, and once they were assured that the coast was clear, joined the steadily growing crowd of civilians following close behind him, Flash and his posse practically right on his heels, but Gwen and Harry eluded him for the time being. Eventually, they made it back to the front entrance, Spider-Man stopping before looking back at the teens behind him.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up."

Flash gave him a nod. "You heard him, guys. Let's go home!"

The blonde jock led the charge as he threw the doors open and the students began pouring out into the courtyard, sprinting through the front gate and into the arms of their loved ones. Peter watched with a satisfied smile before he felt someone bump into his shoulder; Harry. The bitter teen didn't even spare him a glance as he walked passed, but Gwen, whom Harry was pulling along by her hand, mouthed a quick "thank you" at him as she passed.

"You're welcome." Peter whispered to her as she got further and further away.

Only when he was sure all the students had evacuated the building did he dare walk outside and through the gate, stopping when he saw Gwen being hugged tightly by her father, followed by Harry talking with his butler and then Flash being embraced tightly by his mother to the point that he was struggling to breathe, but upon noticing his hero standing at the gate, broke away from his mother's death grip and ran to the front of the crowd.

"Hey everyone, let's hear it for Spider-Man! Without him we'd all be dog food!"

To Spider-Man's amazement, nearly the entire crowd threw their hands up and released a resounding cheer, thanking him for saving their children from certain doom. Even Gwen found the courage to cry out in gratitude along with her father, while Harry simply disappeared into the sea of citizens.

Peter's only reaction was to throw up two piece signs with his hands, but right when he did he noticed a couple of emergency responders loading up some elderly woman into an ambulance and then driving away.

About a minute later the cheering died down, Captain Stacy excusing himself from his daughter to approach the web-slinger with two well-dressed detectives, one female with short brown hair, the other a well-built man with a buzz cut. "Spider-Man, what happened in there?"

The wall-crawler rubbed his shoulder, concentrating on where he was cut. "The man you talked to called himself Roman Torchwick. Don't bother looking for him; he and his cohorts vanished without a trace, but not before his boss sicked their mutts on everyone."

"Yes; when we saw them acting up and start breaking into the building we feared the worst." His gaze hardened as he glanced back at the school. "Then _he_ happened."

"Marko." Spider-Man concluded.

Stacy nodded. "We thought he was about to smash the building, but instead he grabbed the werewolves one by one and crushed them in his giant hands. Once they were all destroyed he…faded away, I guess. I never thought I'd see the day when Sandman saved innocent lives."

Spider-Man turned in the direction the ambulance drove off in. "Not all of them, it looks like. Who was that?"

The police captain winced before letting out a long sigh. One look into his concerned eyes made Peter's stomach clench.

"…It was the aunt of your associate, Peter Parker."

Peter felt his mind go numb. "H-how?"

"One of the werewolves broke off from the rest and started swiping at the crowd. She was unfortunate to be standing closest to it before Marko snatched it up and destroyed it as well."

The young hero felt like he couldn't breathe as he raised his hand to fire a web line in the direction of the nearest hospital. "I-I've got to go check on her. Parker will…"

"Wait." The captain reached out and grabbed his wrist, slowly lowering his wrist as he locked eyes with the web-slinger. "I know you're concerned about her and Parker, but we need you here right now. Please!"

Peter's gaze flicked back and forth between George and the ambulance, which by now had driven far enough away that he could no longer see it. Then he turned to look at the dispersing crowd, most of their faces still bearing traces of fear and uncertainty over the unfortunate events of today.

"J-Just…" He turned back to the middle-aged cop. "Promise me you'll take care of her. For Parker's sake."

"We will." He then turned to the detectives on either side of him. "Benson, Stabler, get CSI on the horn. Have them come in and sweep the entire school for any traces of this "Roman" fellow and his associates. You'll be supervising 'till I get back."

"What about Marko, sir?" Stabler, the burly man, asked.

"We'll worry about him after we've finished up here. Get to it!"

"On it, boss." Benson, the lady, acknowledged, reaching for her walkie-talkie and dialing in the appropriate frequency as she and her partner walked away.

"Wait, 'get back' from where?" Spider-Man asked.

George pointed toward something in the distance beyond the tops of the buildings. The young hero obeyed the silent request and then gasped when he saw the skyscrapers of Manhattan off in the distance, several of which were now smoking.

"When the dome vanished, a lot of witnesses claimed to see some very strange things occurring next door."

"What kind of strange things?"

"I'll fill you in, but right now we need help contacting them to find out what's really going on, but our equipment is in dire need of repair first." He turned back to the young hero with an almost pleading look. "I understand from past experiences that you're somewhat of a genius…"

Spider-Man held up a hand. "I gotcha. Just lead the way and I'll do what I can, Captain George."

Stacy's lips curled into a grateful smile as he gestured his head to the right. "Let's get going then."

(X)

 **NYPD Precinct, Sometime later…**

"A giant moth?"

Spider-Man was on his knees as he works to repair the NYPD's communications equipment, crossing wires here, ripping a couple useless components out there, and feeling his frustration growing every time he felt a jolt of electricity arc into his hand. Stacy and a couple other officers were also present in the room, and for the last thirty minutes, the police captain had been recounting the eye witness statements of what they saw occurring in Manhattan from a distance while Spidey was busy dealing with Roman and his crew.

"Yes, someone else also claimed to have gotten a recording of flying robots as well as a giant dragon fighting a man made of lightning across the skyline." George recounted as he flipped through some papers.

"Man, I would've loved to have seen…Got it!"

George knelt down to get a better look. "Got what?"

"A signal." The young hero then stood up, flipped open the laptop resting atop the desk before linking it to the equipment below with a cable and then began furiously typing away. "I've linked it to the tower on the roof and am broadcasting it towards Manhattan. With luck, somebody will pick it up in a matter of…"

crackHISS

A whisp of smoke rose up from underneath the desk. "Darnit! Grab the microphone and start your message. I'll keep the signal alive as long as I can."

As Spider-Man returned to his previous position beneath the desk, George grabbed the microphone and brought it close to his face. "If anyone is out there, please respond. This is NYPD Captain George Stacy calling from Queens. The dome has vanished and Spider-Man is here with us. I repeat, Spider-Man is here with us."

Silence.

"I'm not getting anything."

Spidey poked his head out from his work station. "Keep trying."

Stacy nodded and prepared to mimic his prior notice, but then a window popped up on the screen featuring the words "Message Received" and below that were the words "Answer" in green letters and "Ignore" in red.

"Somebody's responding."

"Well then answer it…um, sir."

Stacy grabbed the mouse and clicked on "Answer," and immediately the window was replaced by the image of a man dressed in some type of red and gold armor with a glowing circle on his chest. Both his hair and goatee were neatly trimmed, and he was smiling in a way that George recognized as an attempt to look friendly. Stacy was wary of this unfamiliar face, but nonetheless decided it was bets to introduce himself.

"This is Captain George Stacy of the New York Police Department, Queens Division. To whom am I speaking?"

The armored man straightened his posture and cleared his throat. _"This is Iron Man, leader of the Avengers."_

George raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize your name or affiliation."

Iron Man's eyes widened; he clearly wasn't expecting that, but quickly regained his composure. _"Regardless, we picked up your transmission, but you mentioned that Spider-Man was with you. Where is he now?"_

The police captain narrowed his eyes at the man onscreen. It was true that Spider-Man had a reputation amongst the city, but for someone to go out of their way to request to see him personally brought up a ton of questions, compelling him to tread carefully.

"What's your business with him?"

Shortly after he said that, another man stepped into view from the left: a tall, muscular blonde fellow wearing what George could only describe as the American Flag if it were a uniform.

" _He's a friend of ours. Please, we only wish to speak with him."_ The newcomer spoke.

Here was something about the man's posture and tone of voice that made George relent, and considering these people actually responded to his call for help, it probably wouldn't hurt to give them a chance. And so he gestured down to the wall-crawler who was still busy working on the damaged contraptions.

"He's right here, keeping our equipment running."

Spider-Man then pointed up at him. "You're lucky I don't charge by the hour."

Stacy turned back to the screen to see both men now sporting looks of both shock upon hearing the web-slinger's voice, the blonde patriot smiling in relief. _"Spider-Man, is that you?"_

Now that he was being directly spoken to, Spider-Man put his little repair job on hold as he rose up from the floor, giving the strangers a good view of his worn-out, banged-up self.

Upon seeing him, the blonde man's smile grew wider and he stepped closer to the screen. "It's been a long time, my friend. Good to see you again."

Peter allowed his head to tilt as he tried to recall this person's face from memory, but ultimately came up short. He then looked to Captain Stacy for answers, but only got a shrug in return. He then looked back to the two "Avengers," whose face now bore looks of genuine concern.

Scratching his neck nervously, Spider-Man asked the only question he logically could. "Um, I'm sorry, but…do I know you?"

 **Author's Note** **:**

*Translations: "Seriously?," and "Go fuck yourself!"

I cannot begin to tell you guys how much fun I had writing this chapter, particularly Spider-Man's dialogue, or the dialogue period. With all the humor from both Spectacular Spider-Man and RWBY, it just seemed like the perfect matchup.

So how'd I do? Please leave a comment/review. Constructive criticism is both welcome and appreciated, and if you feel that this is worth a recommendation, please spread the word.

Next time: Go!


	10. Back in Business Part 9

"PREPARE YOURSELVES!"

The loud voice echoed across the motionless water of Jump City Harbor until it reached the ears of the teenagers playing basketball on the roof of the tower they all called home. Beast Boy was so distracted that he failed to catch the ball as Cyborg passed it to him, causing it to knock the wind out of him.

"Dude?"

"Sorry, B." Cyborg apologized

Robin remained silent walked to the edge of the roof, his gaze fixed on the horizon as the rest of the men moved to stand next to him. Raven set down her book as she and the other two girls stepped away from their spot on the sidelines and joined them.

"Any thoughts, Rob?" Kid Flash asked his leader from his position right next to him.

"None yet." The boy wonder answered. "We should probably…"

"Look!"

Everyone turned to see Starfire pointing at the sky, and so craned their necks upward and gasped when they saw the dome beginning to ripple like a large pond after a stone was tossed into it before it gradually began to fade away until it was no more.

"Is my robot eye on the fritz?" Cyborg thought aloud as he tapped the metal side of his head. "Because I can't be the only one who saw that."

"Don't worry, you weren't." Raven declared in her usual monotone voice.

The silence enveloping their rooftop court was suddenly broken by a sound reminiscent of distant thunder, making Beast Boy's ears twitch.

"Um, guys? Was it supposed to rain today?" He twirled his finger around inside his ear canal to loosen it up.

"I don't think that was thunder, BB." Jinx responded as she pointed to the city in the distance where a plume of smoke was rising from somewhere downtown.

Starfire gasped. "The people could be in danger!"

"Nobody panic." Robin urged. "Let's get down to the ops room and…figure out…what's…Star?"

"What is it?"

Her boyfriend then pointed down at her feet…which were about a foot off the ground, the sight making her gasp again. She then concentrated and levitated herself higher and higher until her expression of uncertainty was replaced with one of elation as he twirled around in the open air.

"The joy of flying has returned to me!" She cheered.

Beast Boy and Raven exchanged a look before the green-skinned teen closed his eyes and transformed into a rabbit, then a bear, then a velociraptor and then an eagle, while Raven's hands became engulfed in black energy as her eyes glowed white. She then felt something pressing against her leg and looked down to see a green-furred dog gazing up at her with a pleading look before he whined and then tilted his head to present his ears to her. Raven rolled her eyes before reaching down and scratching her boyfriend behind his canine ears, but when he began to wag his tail in delight, she allowed herself a small smile at his antics.

Jinx snapped her fingers and created purple sparkles across her fingertips, Cyborg shifted his right arm into its sonic cannon mode, and KF zoomed to and fro across the court before returning to his spot next to his pink-haired partner. Robin merely crossed his arms and silently observed his friends become reacquainted with their powers, but his relieved smirk quickly gave way to a more stoic expression as he fully embraced his "serious business" attitude.

"It's good that your powers are back guys, but now's not the time to celebrate, just yet." He then turned to his gothic teammate. "Raven, you know what to do."

Raven nodded before she began to levitate. Crossing her legs Indian-style mid-air, she then closed her eyes and brought her hands together in a prayer gesture, tuning out the rest of the world as she concentrated. Then, with the exception of Cyborg, blue energy began to swirl around each member of the Titans until it engulfed them completely, the same energy also surrounding Raven as her hair began to stand on end from the buildup of magical power coursing through her.

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!"

Each illuminated member of the team then lit up like a flash bang one after the other, and afterwards found themselves dressed in their epochal costumes, flexing their arms and shaking their feet as the familiar feeling of wearing them was returned after a year of absence. Robin rubbed his wrists as Starfire touched down next to him and took his hand in hers, each giving the other a silent, but affirmative nod.

"Alright Titans, here's what we need to do: Kid Flash and Jinx: you two will scout ahead. Find out what's going on and help any citizens in jeopardy until the rest of us can arrive in the T-Car."

KF gave a quick nod before lifting his girlfriend up bridal-style and zooming away in a multicolored blur, her scream of surprise fading into the distance as they got further and further away.

Robin turned back to those who were left. "Let's get down to the garage, gang. Move!"

His commands brooked no argument from his friends as they obeyed without hesitation and made their way downstairs.

(X)

 **Downtown…**

From within a seemingly unassuming alleyway, a section of the pavement flipped open like a massive trap door from which the white and blue transport of the Teen Titans emerged, its tires screeching as it barreled out of the alley and onto the road in front of Pizza Corner, where the driver felt the need to do a couple of donuts before finally coming to a stop.

The doors then clicked open and the Titans stepped out one by one, starting with Cyborg from the driver's seat.

"Booyah!" He cheered. "Been a while since I put her through her paces, right BB?"

Beast Boy, who was seated directly behind his best friend for the duration of the ride, stumbled out of the car and placed a hand over his stomach as he fought the urge to retch.

"Yeah." He groaned before doubling over and releasing his lunch onto the ground, Raven moving to pat his back until he was finished.

Robin had already made his way out of the vehicle and began taking in his surroundings, particularly the damaged and still burning buildings, when a familiar multicolored streak sped down the street before stopping right in front of him, revealing Kid Flash and Jinx once more.

"What did you two find out?" He asked them.

Jinx brushed herself off after KF set her down. "Nothing yet, although considering the police ordered this particular street evacuated…"

"…Whoever's behind this is still close by." The boy wonder concluded before turning to his bionic friend. "Cyborg, link up with police communications and see if you can…"

"LOOK OUT!"

ZAP

WHOOSH

BOOM

Robin blinked, the world passed by in a blur, and next thing he knew he and his friends were about twenty feet away from the now wrecked and smoking T-Car, Kid Flash panting slightly from the strain of having to transport six other people so quickly.

"My car! Not again." Cyborg cried out angrily. "Somebody's gonna pay!"

"Um, dude?" BB spoke up, directing his friend's attention to the elevated eating area of the pizza joint. "I think I know who did it this time."

All the Titans shifted their focus where BB indicated and scowled at what they saw. Standing in an angled row along the edge of the building were six individuals the group had never seen before, Robin's detective skills (particularly observation) kicking in as he studied each and every detail of the newcomers' outward appearances.

The first was a tall, anthropomorphic feline creature resembling combination of various types of jungle cats, particularly a tiger and a lion, with a long, spikey black mane and matching goatee. His outfit was a simple, furry vest also themed after some type of wild feline, brown pants supported by a silver belt, matching brown wristbands, and a leopard-spotted armband fasted to his left bicep. His clawed fingers twitched as he scowled at Beast Boy.

Next to him was another man wearing a baggy rubber suit of varying shades of green that left his head completely exposed, and Robin saw that he was seemingly made of pure electricity as the yellow bolts composing his cranium arced and danced like flames, the energy seemingly regulated by the twin tubes running across his chest as his glowing turquoise eyes bore into the heroes below.

Third in line was simpler in his display: a form-fitting red suit with yellow sections across his chest, shoulders, shins and mask which also contained green-tinted goggles. A silver belt with a small pouch adorned his waist, but most telling about his outfit were the bulging silver gauntlets on his forearms which pulsed with some kind of green energy.

The fourth was the largest of the bunch: a hunched-over, musclebound hulk of a man concealed within some type of stone armor with a large horn protruding from his forehead, resembling that of a rhino. Only his face could be seen as he snarled down at them.

Up next was a smaller man, a teenager or young adult from the looks of it, wearing nothing but brown shorts and boots with the former supported by a large golden belt, but his entire body was coated in what looked like a thin sheen of liquid fire, and Robin questioned why his face appeared impassive, almost like he didn't want to be here right now.

And lastly was perhaps the most bizarre-looking of the cadre, with his light-green checkerboard suit with lighter-green gloves and boots, large purple shoulder pauldrons and matching cape, and topped off with an opaque glass dome helmet. Green smoke surrounded him as he folded his arms across his chest.

With his initial analysis complete, the leader of the Teen Titans spoke up. "Who are you?"

Then Cyborg, still bitter over the loss of his baby, stepped forward. "And which one of you trashed my car?"

"That would'a been me." The red and yellow-suited man answered proudly in a thick southern accent. "No offence to ya, Oil Slick, but that thang was too much of an eye-sore so it had to go."

Cyborg's fists clenched as the rest of the team moved up as well, Starfire placing a calming hand on his shoulder before refocusing on the enemy group. "We asked you a question."

The bowl-headed guy threw his hands up as he boasted in a theatrical tone. "We are the great and mighty Sinister Seven! Tremble before us!"

The electric man let out an annoyed sigh. "Do you have to talk like that all the time?"

"E-yesss!"

"…What?"

"E-yesss!"

"What's he saying?"

Rhino-man shrugged. "I dunno."

"Can we please get on with it?" The fire-man suddenly shouted, silencing his comrades.

"We sure can." The southern villain responded before turning back to the Tamaranian. "Now, my name's Shocker, and this 'ere is Kraven, Electro, Rhino, Molten Man and Mysterio, and to answer your question, little lady…"

"Why even bother?" Electro interrupted.

"Yeah, what're we waitin' for?" Rhino added.

"Now now, fellas. There ain't no reason we can't be civil." He redirected himself at the Titans. "As I was sayin', the answer is simple kiddos: me and my friends 'ere have been given a responsibility that involves dealing with you lot, and a man honors his responsibilities."

"Gee, how very gentlemanly of you." Jinx quipped with an eye roll.

Kid Flash put his thumb to his chin and hummed in thought. "Question: if you're called the 'Sinister Seven,' why are there only six of you?"

"Don' worry." Shocker chuckled. "Our seventh amigo is closer than you think."

Robin scowled and then drew his bō staff. "Enough of this. Titans, go!"

It was then that Robin felt something akin to a snake coiling around his leg before said leg was yanked out from underneath him and caused him to fall. He looked down and saw a long black tendril dragging him across the pavement towards a nearby alley.

The other Titans prepared to go after him, but Shocker reacted faster. "Have at 'em, boys!"

He and his compatriots leaped off of their elevated position and descended upon our heroes. Kraven let out a mighty roar as he pounced on Beast Boy, who dodged backwards before changing himself into a cheetah and fleeing, his opponent giving chase. Electro then fired a blast of energy at Kid Flash, who moved out of the way, and then performed a super speed-like maneuver to keep up with his target before both disappeared from view further down the street. Mysterio vanished in a puff of green smoke which then spawned a swarm of cartoonish bat creatures that attacked Jinx and forced her to run for cover.

Raven changed into her shadow form to flee a pursuing Molten Man who left burning footprints in his wake, Cyborg ducked behind his wrecked car as he avoided blasts from Shocker's gauntlets, and Starfire collided with a charging Rhino before grappling with the massive villain. As she strained under the force of him trying to push her down, she looked to her leader who was still being dragged further and further away.

"Robin!"

"I'll be fine!" He called back to her. "Just deal with him first."

After he disappeared beneath a manhole cover, Starfire refocused on the behemoth she was still struggling against.

"Hahaha." He cackled. "What's the matter? Afraid your boyfriend won't be able to help you?"

With her gaze lowered, Rhino couldn't see her scowl deepen, but he did feel her grip on his hands tighten, causing him to wince.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," She then lifted her gaze and revealed her blazing green eyes to him. "…but I am stronger than I look!"

Rhino was visibly taken aback. "Uh oh."

POW

(X)

 **The Sewers…**

Dirty water splashed on Robin's face as he was dragged faster and faster through the dark tunnels of the city's sewer system. Flipping over onto his back, he jammed his staff into the curved stone wall to try and slow himself down, and in the brief moment it succeeded, he managed to reach down and retrieve a birdarang from his belt. Unsheathing the bladed portions, he used it to sever the tendril from his leg in one swipe, causing him to hydroplane across the water for a split second before he finally stopped, the dark appendage having already disappeared into the darkness ahead.

After standing up, he shook his cape to remove any excess water from it before lifting his staff in a defensive position and walking forward deeper into the tunnel, and after five whole minutes trudging through the murky, confined passageway until he reached a large spacious chamber where three other streams intersected with the one he had traversed at a large drain covered by a metal grate in the center of the room, a wide beam of light from up above shining down upon it, the only source within the otherwise dark alcove. Robin cautiously kept on walking until he was standing upon the grate, the four streams falling into the black abyss below while he listened for any sign of his foe from the darkness surrounding him.

He got one when he heard a low "hiss" echo throughout the dim chamber, the noise causing his grip on his staff to tighten.

THWIP

SPLAT

The small opening on the ceiling suddenly became obstructed, bathing the young hero in complete darkness. Knowing it would take time for his night vision to kick in, Robin closed his eyes and focused his hearing, tuning out the sounds of the running water beneath him, the small rat scurrying about on the floor, and finally the water droplets dripping from the cracks on the ceiling until the only thing he could hear was the beat of his own heart…followed closely by the patter of approaching footsteps behind him.

After mentally thanking Chu-hui's Snake guardian for teaching him that technique, he then spun on his heel and swung with all his might.

CLANG

"GAAGH!"

Immediately after his blow struck, he reached into his belt and grabbed a new type of birdarang he developed in the past year during his spare time: the birdlight. He then threw the device to the right where it lodged into the wall before activating, illuminating the whole chamber with white light and providing Robin with a clear view of his enemy.

It was a hulking bipedal creature with pitch-black skin and long, bulging arms that reached to its knees. Its inhuman face featured large, blank white eyes and a big mouth with razor sharp teeth, and across its abdomen was a large white spider symbol that wrapped all the way around.

Then it spoke, its voice sounding as if two people were speaking at once. "Not bad. Nobody's ever been able to see us coming before."

Robin scowled at it, or rather "him" judging by his voice. "Whoever you are, dragging me all the way down here won't do you any good."

"The name's Venom, Bird-Brain." He tilted his head to the side and cracked his neck. "And we couldn't resist. After all, we were just dying to sink our teeth into something." A long, snake-like tongue then protruded from his mouth for a brief second before it retracted back into its owner's maw, who then let out another laugh.

Robin adjusted his stance, bringing one of his hands closer to his belt. "You're in over your head."

"Truth be told, the only reason we're even here is because all of the other options were taken." Venom confessed. "For all we care, you're just an appetizer to prep us for the main course."

"Then eat THIS!" Robin then grabbed another birdarang off his belt and threw it at the beastly creature, who leaped high into the air and planted himself on the ceiling to avoid it, his hands and feet sticking him to smooth but worn concrete like an insect.

Venom then angled his head so he could look down at the hero. "Nice toys. Ready to have some fun?"

With a loud roar, Venom jumped down from his perch towards the boy wonder with his claws outstretched, Robin reacting by grabbing three more birdarangs and letting them fly.

(X)

 **The Park…**

Beast Boy grunted in pain as his tiger form smacked against the side of a tree, the impact shaking several leaves loose from their branches and causing him to revert back to his original form. As he stood up, he patted himself down but accidentally made contact with a few of the numerous scratches across his body, causing him to wince.

A vicious roar forced him to put his pain aside as he saw Kraven barreling towards him on all fours. Thinking fast, BB transformed into a massive bear with his claws at the ready, only for Kraven to leap over his first swipe and land feet-first on Beast Boy's face which he then clawed at.

Shielding his face from Kraven's assault, BB then made an attempt to escape by transforming into a snake, only to be caught in a tight grip and brought up to his enemy's grinning expression.

"Impressive." He began in a thick Russian accent. "You hold the power of the entire animal kingdom in your grasp."

The green serpent hissed before changing into a bull, forcing Kraven to drop him and leap back a few feet. Breathing steam out of his nostrils, Beast Boy then charged with all his might and collided with his foe, who gripped his horns and planted his feet as he was pushed back while still maintaining his excited grin.

"But you don't know how to use it like I do!" The anthropomorphic cat boasted.

Maintaining his grip on the horns, he turned around and then threw the bull over his head and sending him crashing into another tree, this time actually toppling this one over. Snarling in fury, BB then transformed into a gorilla, picked up the fallen tree and swung it like a massive bat. Kraven reacted by cartwheeling over the swing and then rushing forward where he delivered a powerful punch to the teenager's gut followed by another slash at his face with his claws.

Now more exhausted than ever, even after an all-nighter playing video games with Cyborg, BB changed back into his human form again as birds danced around his skull. The next thing he felt was Kraven grabbing him by the throat before tossing him into a swing set where he got tangled up in the chains.

Too tired to try and free himself at the moment, Beast Boy could only watch as Kraven stalked towards him slowly as he continued to boast.

"There is only one who has conquered every beast in this day and age, and it is I, Kraven, King of the Hunt!"

Beast Boy's eyes widened as he caught a little detail of Kraven's proclamation.

"'This day and age?'" The shape-shifting teen smirked as an idea formed in his noggin before he refocused on his opponent. "So you've beaten every single animal out there, huh?"

Kraven stopped, his brow raising. "Yes?"

"Well how about THIS ONE?"

Within the span of merely a couple of seconds, Beat Boy grew larger then he had in any of his previous forms up until now, a long tail protruding from his back, his skin becoming thicker and more leathery, his nose extending into a long snout until at last, his transformation into the one creature all the other dinosaurs feared was complete.

Kraven gaped at the towering monstrosity before him as it roared in his face, globs of spit splashing against him as he remained still as a statue for several moments before mustering his fleeting courage and regaining the ability to speak.

"That…is new."

(X)

 **Bank of Perez…**

Molten Man had pursued the elusive shadow that was his enemy all the way to some bank, but was forced to stop as she slipped underneath the front door. Now he stood there, staring up at the golden sign above the entrance and the rows of stone columns above and beneath it supporting the building as he contemplated his next move.

' _Let's get this over with.'_

He kicked the door in and walked inside.

The whole interior was enveloped in darkness so thick that moving through it felt like walking through molasses, not to mention he couldn't see anything further than a foot in front of him, even with the glow of his sub-dermal armor. He walked forward several paces before he felt himself collide with an empty chair, which he then stomped into ash in his frustration.

" **You're making a mistake."**

The voice, belonging to that of a girl, his target most likely, seemed to come from everywhere, the sudden outburst causing the flames dancing across his gold skin to intensify.

"Where are you hiding?" He shouted into the void.

" **You don't want to do this."**

"You don't know what you're talking about!" He conjured a fireball and threw it in a random direction where it exploded upon contact with a desk and set it ablaze, only for the flames to be immediately snuffed out by the darkness overtaking it once more.

" **I do. I can see your thoughts and feel your emotions."**

The implications of that statement caused his body to lock up, whatever he was going to say next dying in his throat.

" **Your desperation to settle a debt made you choose to become what you are now, and you hate yourself for it."**

"Shut up."

" **You know you've hurt people, but you believe this is the only way to reclaim the life you once had."**

"Be quiet!"

" **But you're afraid, afraid that those you care about will never forgive you for what you've done. Afraid that your sister will only see you as a monster."**

"ENOUGH!"

His rage reached a breaking point as the flames on his body exploded in all directions, pushing back the darkness until it coalesced into a single point on the floor where the hooded girl he chased into this place rose up from. She stared at him blankly, her eyes glowing white through the shadow covering half of her face.

"Why is it so hard for you guys to just talk things out?" She deadpanned.

"Talk is cheap, and I don't have time for it!" Molten Man snarled, creating an even larger fireball and launching it at her.

Raven countered by encasing herself in a bubble of dark energy, the projectile exploding on contact harmlessly, before she then molded it into the shape of her namesake avian, its massive wings spread wide as it hovered behind its master.

"Suit yourself." She then threw her hand out and willed her creation to attack the troubled teen, who charged with his fist drawn back ready to punch the dark construct.

(X)

 **Back up top…**

Today was supposed to be a good day for Cyborg,

He and his best friends…no scratch that, **family** , were in the middle of a fantastic game of basketball right before all of this went down. If there were no interruptions, he and BB would've beaten Kid Flash and Robin, then he would've beaten BB at video games, lost to Raven in a staring contest, beat BB at video games again and then chowed on junk food until well after the sun had set and then passed out on the couch.

A perfect end to a perfect day.

Or it would've been if this quilt-padded, country fried car killer and his posse hadn't ruined it!

"I can hear ya, boy!"

Could he?

"Yes!"

Oh, well in that case…

"…I'M NOT APOLOGIZING!" Cyborg shouted over his cover right as he fired another sonic canon blast, blowing another hole in the wall his target was hiding behind.

Ducking back down to avoid Shocker's retaliatory shot, he used his robot eye to do a quick scan of the area and check on the status of his teammates who were still nearby. To his left he saw Starfire trading blows with Rhino before flying behind him and wrapping her arms around his massive neck, the neanderthal struggling to break free before tripping over the curb and sending them both tumbling into a thrift store. To the upper left he saw Jinx on a rooftop launching purple waves of her energy at a giant dragon monster while Mysterio watched from off to the side, but Cyborg's scan revealed that the massive mythological creature was merely a giant projection coming from the bowl-headed villain himself.

He spoke into the communicator in his wrist. "Jinx, that thing is a hologram. Just ignore it and focus on Mysterio!"

" _Got it!"_ She responded before turning towards her true opponent and launching another energy wave at him, his form disappearing in another puff of smoke that engulfed the whole rooftop, obscuring them from Cyborg's view except for their heat signatures.

As for Kid Flash, he and Electro kept disappearing and reappearing all over the place, first the lamppost, then a rooftop, then here, then there and eventually the bionic man decided to just stop trying to keep up and refocus on the task at hand. He peeked around his cover again to try and locate Shocker, reactivating his infrared vision to make the job easier, and found him crouching down on one knee behind a ruined wall with both of his gauntlets cocked and ready to return fire.

"This rodeo's gone on long enough, Slick!" Shocker called out. "So how about we settle this like men. Sound good?"

He was right; Cyborg checked his power supply and discovered he only had 33% left. _'I should've toned it down while playing hoops.'_

But then an idea struck him like a thunderbolt and he grinned like a maniac. "Alright, on the count of three we'll both run out and meet each other head on!"

"Gotcha!" Shocker acknowledged as he began charging his gauntlets once more. "I'll start. One…"

Cyborg turned off his sonic cannon and prepared his arm's other function. "…Two…"

"Three!" Shocker emerged through the big hole in the wall his their firefight created with both his hands extended, his forearms pulsing with green energy as they prepared to unleash their payload. "YEE-huh?"

Instead of seeing Cyborg run out to meet him, however, all he saw was the teenager's robotic arm sailing towards him like a rocket with its metallic fist closed and heading straight for his face.

"Aw, fiddlesticks."

CRACK

The impact knocked Shocker flat on his back, blood leaking from his now broken nose and seeping through the fabric of his mask as he groaned in pain. When he reopened his eyes, he saw his opponent standing over him and reattaching his arm with a triumphant smirk.

"You…cheated." Shocker spat.

Cyborg leaned down and grabbed the villain by his shirt, lifting him up to eye level.

"I call it 'pragmatism.'"

One headbutt later and Shocker was out cold, Cyborg removing his power gauntlets and crushing them like empty soda cans before handcuffing the unconscious villain to a lamppost.

With one enemy secured, Cyborg lifted his wrist again and reactivated his communicator. "Cyborg here. Shocker's been dealt with. Anybody seen the others?"

" _This is Kid Flash. I thought you might like to know that I just saw a big green T-rex chasing a werecat through the park…"_

 _ZAP_

"… _YIKES! Sorry, gotta run. Peace."_

The line went dead.

Grinning once again, Cyborg began running in the direction of the park, where his best friend was no doubt having some fun toying with the baddie he got stuck with.

"And he didn't invite me."

(X)

 **The Sewers…**

"ARGH!" Robin cried out as his back smacked into the wall once more.

Despite his several dozen training regiments the past year, this Venom character proved to be very formidable with his inhuman flexibility, savage strength, and ability to be able to see Robin coming from a mile away, rendering the boy wonder's stealth capabilities completely useless in this scenario. By this point nearly his entire utility belt had been spent, his staff was broken in two and his cape was torn to shreds, leaving him scrambling mentally to try and find a way to beat this guy on his own.

He checked his remaining inventory: a grappling hook, four mini glue grenades and a thruster-mine for moving large objects and/or enemies.

' _Not much to work with.'_

SLAM

He looked forward to see Venom having dropped down onto the grate in the center of the room and dented it, and as he rose to his full height, Robin noticed something odd about the cuts he just made in the beast's hide before he was smacked away: beneath his black skin was a second-layer of clearly human skin that the top layer reformed over after a few seconds as Venom pretended to dust himself off.

"Gotta admit Polly, we never expected you to last this long."

"I'm glad you're amused." Robin quipped as he noticed half of his broken staff lying on the ground behind Venom and began formulating a plan.

"Thank you, but we've got places to go and people to meet, so it's time to end this now." Crouching low and planting one hand on the ground, his tongue lashed out as he prepared to make his move.

Too bad Robin made his first.

Raising his grappling hook, he fired it at Venom's face, who caught it with his free hand just like Robin hoped. The boy wonder then threw two of the glue grenades at Venom's feet, the sticky substance holding him in place as Robin flipped a switch on the grapple-gun's handle to retract it, only to be sent sailing forward with his foot outstretched.

CRACK

Venom grunted in pain as Robin spring-boarded off his face before front-flipping onto his opponent's back and forcing him to the ground, where he threw the last two glue grenades at each of his hands, pinning him fully to the grate before retrieving the piece of staff from the floor. He then jammed it into the side of the grate as leverage for when he flipped it over, Venom now looking up at him from the other side he now hung off from.

Unable to reach his prey, Venom could only watch in confusion as the former sidekick retrieved the thruster mines and placed it on the center of the overturned grate on the opposite side of Venom's chest, and as it "beeped," Robin crossed his arms with a smirk.

"Say hi to the rats for me."

FWOOSH

The mine activated, a stream of blue flame emitting from it as it pushed the grate free, Venom roaring in anger as he was propelled into the black abyss below, but after the darkness enveloped him, Robin caught sight of a small twinkle of light followed by Venom's cry stopping abruptly.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Robin retrieved his communicator and flipped it open. "This is Robin. Bad guy neutralized. Everyone report."

" _Robin!"_ Starfire responded when her holographic image appeared. _"I am so glad you are okay."_

He grinned. "Of course I am Star, but what about you and the others?"

" _We are alright. Jinx and Kid Flash are here with me and the rest are on their way, but the Sinister Seven have disappeared."_

Robin didn't like the sound of that. "Did you see which way they ran off to?"

" _What she means, Rob…"_ Kid Flash leaned into the projection. _"…is that they all went "poof" and then they were just gone."_

Robin cast a quick glance back down the hole he sent Venom into, recalling the twinkle he saw, before turning back to the hologram. "We'll worry about them later. Right now we need to secure the city and then we'll regroup before heading back to the Tower to plan our next move. Robin out."

Kid Flash nodded before zooming out of view, while Starfire blew a kiss to Robin before shutting her communicator off, Robin pocketing his own before beginning his trek back to the surface.

(X)

 **Titans Tower, Ops Room…**

"And then he ran away with his tail between his legs. Literally!"

A chorus of laughter went up from the gathered teens spread out across the room. Kid Flash and Jinx were seated on the left side of the couch, the former wrapping some gauze around her boyfriend's arm where an electric burn was. Not that he really needed thanks to his super-fast healing abilities, but it gave him a chance to snuggle up close to his significant other, something he knew that she also enjoyed.

Cyborg was seated on a stool in the kitchen, tinkering with his leg using a small screwdriver protruding from his fingertip as he listened to BB give an account of his fight with Kraven. "Yeah, and then I showed up and knocked him over with my sweet quarterback skills. You shoulda seen the look on his face when we had him cornered!"

Beast Boy laughed again but then winced as Raven's healing magic did its work mending the scratches on his right arm. The two were seated on the opposite end of the couch from KF and Jinx, the gothic girl's hands glowing blue as she gently rubbed them up and down across the injured area. "Easy."

"It would be if you didn't squirm so much." She countered dryly, never taking her eyes off her task.

Beast Boy slumped, but then a mischievous smirk graced his lips. "Okay, I'll stay still…Honey Pie."

She huffed. "What did I say about the names?"

"What names, Sugar Plum?" He then waggled his eyebrows at her.

She tried utilizing one of her trademark glares. "Quit it."

But BB caught the glint in her eyes as well as the corners of her lips twitching. "C'mon, I only use them because you're so sweet, Buttercup."

He then reached up with his other arm to tickle her earlobe, the action finally breaking her composure as she swatted his hand away with a mirthful smile. "Stooop."

Cyborg smirked at them from across the room, his supercomputer brain still working tirelessly to process how those two could've ended up together, before turning to the front of the room where Robin was typing away on one of the keyboards beneath the massive projection screen, Starfire standing right next to him with an arm wrapped around his shoulder. "Yo Robin, any luck?"

"No." The monitor shut off and Robin lowered his head with a sigh. He turned around and leaned back on the desk, Starfire rubbing his back soothingly. "I first tried to contact the Titans East, but that was a dead end, so I branched out to all the rest and all I got was silence."

"That doesn't make any sense." Jinx chimed in. "They had to have known we were trapped in here and should've come running when the dome disappeared."

"Perhaps they were all called offworld for a mission?" Starfire suggested.

"Every single one of them?" KF questioned. "Not likely."

While his friends deliberated, Beast Boy turned to gaze out the window, his eyes widening. "Um, guys?"

"Could the Brotherhood of Evil done something?" Cyborg asked, oblivious to BB's attempt to gain all their attention.

"Their reach was global. Maybe they reorganized and launched a surprise attack? Raven added.

"If they somehow managed to thaw themselves out, that is." Kid Flash pointed out.

"Dudes?" Beast Boy said, his voice rising.

He still went ignored as Starfire turned to Raven, her expression one of desperation as she tried to find some sort of answer to all of this. "Maybe some sort of magical phenomenon?"

But Raven shook her head. "A scale that big would've required a tremendous amount of magical energy that I would've been able to sense, and I haven't been able to detect anything of the sort." She placed her fingers to her temple. "Although I did sense… _something_ when the Sinister Seven disappeared."

"Teleportation?" Cyborg thought aloud.

"Theories won't get us anywhere, Team." Robin stated, clearly frustrated. "Our first priority should be recovering before we go searching for the Seven. Cyborg, Raven, see if you can devise some means of tracking the energy signature of whatever they used to escape, then we'll…"

"YO! CALLING ALL TITANS!"

Beast Boy's outburst promptly shut them all up, and when they turned to face him, he flinched under all there stares as he pointed to the window. "Um…we've got company."

They all turned to look where he directed, and there, hovering right outside the window was a sleek, aerodynamic ship of some sort, with two massive "wings" extending further out from what they assumed was the cockpit.

Robin's scowled as he tried to figure out how it got so close without being detected, but then he noticed one of the lights on the console blinking, indicating that they were receiving a transmission, so he pressed the button next to it and answered.

The large screen came back to life, obstructing their view of the ship with an images of a young adult with dark skin, buzzed blonde hair, blue eyes, and actual gills on both sides of his neck.

" _Greetings."_ He spoke. _"Please, do not be alarmed. My name is Kaldur'ahm, but I'm more commonly known as Aqualad…"_

"Um, did he just say 'Aqualad?'?" Cyborg asked nobody in particular.

"… _and I am asking permission to speak with your…"_ He stopped abruptly when he noticed the red and green clad teenager standing at the forefront of the teenagers that he could see from his end. _"…Robin?"_

Robin turned to Starfire with one eyebrow raised and she merely shrugged in response, so he refocused on the screen again. "I am, but you are definitely NOT the Aqualad that I know."

"Aqualad" stared wide-eyed for a few more seconds before he turned his head to his right. _"I believe you should handle this."_

He then stepped out of view through the right side of the screen right before someone else came in from the left: a young man with messy black hair, fair skin, a black domino mask, and they could make out what looked like the a blue bird symbol on his chest.

When Starfire saw this newcomer, she gasped. "Robin, that's…"

"Nightwing." The boy wonder finished for her.

The man on screen's face didn't betray any emotion. _"You accused my friend of not being who he says he is, but you don't look like any Robin that I've ever seen. I should know."_

Robin looked over his shoulder at each of his friends, silently asking them what they thought about all of this. Cyborg and Beast Boy gave a neutral shrug, Raven, Jinx and Kid Flash all nodded skeptically, and lastly Starfire gave nod as well, hers one of encouragement, which he returned in kind before turning back around.

"Set your ship down by the front entrance and we'll all come out to meet you in five minutes. We have a lot to talk about."

 _"Yeah, we do."_ Nightwing acknowledged before the screen went blank.

The whole Ops Room was bathed in silence, everyone taking a moment to absorb everything that had occurred, from the abrupt ending to their little party all the way up to now when Robin just finished conversing with his future self, if Starfire's account of her trip to the future was anything to go by.

"Why do I get the feeling it's only gonna get weirder from here on out?" Beast Boy wondered aloud.

 **Author's Note** :

And so ends the first story arc. The next several chapters will take a little longer to write than these as they will focus more on character interactions rather than action scenes. Thanks for sticking with me for this long, guys. This is only the beginning.

Please leave a comment/review and know that constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. If you feel this story is worth a recommendation, please go right ahead and spread the word.

Next Time: Two Teams, One Tower.


	11. Two Teams, One Tower

**Jump City, Titans Tower…**

The silence of the entrance hall was slowly chipped away as the low hum of the elevator's descent grew louder and louder until the doors parted at last, the seven teenaged heroes walking out and beginning their trek towards the front door where their guests waited on the other side.

"So we're really going to meet with Future-You and his group of Titans, huh?" Cyborg asked as he increased his speed to keep pace with his leader.

Robin kept his focus on the approaching door. "No."

Cyborg's eyes widened. "Um, say what?"

"He's not me." The boy wonder clarified.

"How do you know?" Jinx spoke up.

"Remember what he said?" Raven asked her. "'You don't look like any Robin that I've ever seen.' If he _was_ from the future…"

"Then he would've recognized Robin as his past self." Kid Flash concluded.

"He also had a different voice and shorter hair than the Nightwing I remember." Starfire added.

"So what does that all mean, then?" Beast Boy inquired of his friends. "Because I don't know about you guys, but this is reminding me of some of my favorite shows."

By now the team had made it to the door, Robin punching in a few keys on the console next to it before it slowly opened, his friends squinting their eyes as they adjusted to the change in lighting while he waited patiently, still as a statue.

"We're about to find out." He stated.

When the doors opened wide enough, they stepped outside and were immediately greeted by the sight of the red ship sitting on their "front lawn," so to speak. Robin turned his head to the left and then to the right, locking eyes with each of this friends once in a manner that conveyed his instructions for this situation with just a look.

' _Be ready for anything.'_

After they all nodded silently, they kept on walking forward until they were about twenty feet away from the ship, at which point they simply waited, the warm sun beaming down on them as a cool ocean breeze blew against their skin, and about one minute later, a ramp lowered from the ship's underside, causing them all to tense up as they waited for whatever was going to come out of it to meet them.

And a few seconds later, they caught sight of a pair of black boots coming down the ramp, which gave way to the tall, black-clad form of the Nightwing they spoke to earlier came walking down, stopping for a moment once he was at the bottom to lock eyes with Robin. No words were spoken yet as the two masked crimefighters began slowly walking towards one another, the rest of the Titans staying put as Robin met his counterpart at the halfway point. The boy wonder craned his neck to glare into the taller man's eyes, the latter reciprocating with his own thousand yard stare.

"Uh, what're they doing?" BB whispered to his friends.

"I believe the proper Earth term is: 'feeling each other up?' Starfire guessed.

Jinx snorted in amusement. "I think you mean ' _sizing_ each other up,' Star."

"Is there a difference?" A grinning Jinx then leaned in and quietly whispered into the Tamaranian's ear, which caused a hint of pink to decorate her cheeks. "Oh."

Meanwhile, Robin and Nightwing still hadn't spoken a word to each other as they mentally catalogued each and every detail of one another's posture, from the subtle tensing of their muscles beneath their costumes to the short breaths they took through their nostrils, and once each of their analysis was complete, Nightwing cautiously spoke first.

"Flying…?"

Robin quickly picked up on what he was getting at. "Graysons. Tony…?"

"Zucco. Bruce Wayne…?"

"Batman. Enlisted…?"

"Adopted. Vengeance…?"

"Justice."

Another beat of silence passed between them before Nightwing extended his open hand, Robin taking it in his own and shaking slowly.

"Dick Grayson, Nightwing."

"Dick Grayson, Robin."

They let go of each other's hand and returned to their previous stances: backs straight and arms down.

"So, what're you doing in a place like this?" Nightwing asked his doppelganger, his gaze shifting to the enormous tower before him.

Robin crossed his arms. "This is our home; I should be asking you that."

"Indeed." The older Grayson smirked briefly. "We have important information we'd like to share."

Robin leaned to the left to peer at the ship behind his counterpart. "And by 'we' you mean your team, right? They're still on your ship?"

"Technically it's Aqualad's team." Nightwing admitted. "He just thought things would go smoother if I talked to you first, Bird-Boy to Bird-Boy. My words, not his."

Robin allowed himself a small smirk. "Alright, but no funny business. We've had a pretty rough day."

"That makes two of us." The older Grayson then put two fingers two his ear. "C'mon down, guys, but be on your best behavior. We are guests, after all."

Both ex-sidekicks turned towards the ship as Nightwing's crew made their way down the ramp one by one. The first was the same man from earlier who called himself 'Aqualad,' followed close behind by a young woman dressed as some sort of magician, behind her was a dark-skinned girl with a large red belt, then someone who Robin could only describe as a younger version of Metropolis' greatest hero, then a blonde woman wearing a tiger-themed outfit, a green-skinned girl with red hair, and then lastly…another Kid Flash?

Once the whole group finished assembling in front of Robin, he made a gesture over his shoulder for his own team to approach, but as they moved closer, Beast Boy stepped into view from behind Cyborg and entered the green-skinned girl's line of vision, and once her eyes fell on him, she let out a gasp of pure joy.

"GARFIELD!"

Before BB could form a response, he felt himself being lifted off the ground and then carried by some invisible force towards the girl. "Whoooooooah!"

The girl's arms were spread out as if she wished to hug him while her face beamed, and Raven wasn't having any of that. She threw her hand out and created a wall of black energy between her boyfriend and his captor, Beast Boy smacking into it face-first with a grunt of pain before the energy wrapped around him and pulled him back to his girlfriend's side.

"I'm sorry." Raven confessed. "Did I hurt you?"

"Nah, I'm fine." The changeling groaned as he turned to the gothic girl and tilted his head upward. "I'm not bleeding, am I?"

She cupped his face in both hands and examined his nose. "No, you're alright."

Seeing his friend was okay, Robin turned back to the group in front of him with an irritated scowl. "What did I say?"

"My thoughts exactly." Nightwing cast a similar look to his own green-skinned teammate, who shied away and concealed her embarrassment by pulling a blue hood over her head, visibly wincing when she caught sight of Raven's glare next.

"Well then…" The older Grayson continued, gesturing first to his left. "Robin, you've already met Aqualad, the official team leader, and this here is Zatanna, Rocket, Superboy, Miss Martian, Tigress and Kid Flash."

Robin nodded before introducing his own team. "This is Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Jinx, and…" He turned to see that Kid Flash (his, not theirs) wasn't where he should have been. "Where'd ours go?"

"Ours is gone now, too." Zatanna spoke up, gesturing to where her team's respective speedster was standing previously, the spot now empty.

"Not this again." Robin and Nightwing groaned at the same time.

But not even a full second later, both speedsters reappeared, their hands on their knees as they panted for breath. Titans-KF wiped the sweat from his brow before managing to speak between pants. "Sorry…about that…guys."

"What were you two doing?" Aqualad inquired of them both.

"While you were…talking…" Other-KF began, equally exhausted.

"We…introduced ourselves…" Titans-KF continued.

"One thing…led to…another…"

"And we decided to see…which of us…was faster…"

"So we…just ran…"

"A hundred laps…"

"Around the tower…"

"And I won." They both said at once, immediately glaring at one another before bursting into laughter.

"And when did all THAT happen?" Rocket asked.

"Approximately 9.11 seconds ago your time." Other-KF revealed before turning back to his counterpart and lifted his open hand for a high-five. "The names' Bart, by the way. Bart Allen."

Titans-KF accepted the gesture and slapped his palm against that of his newest friend.

KAZZAP

"OUCH!" They quickly pulled their hands back after the sudden electrical bolt arcing between them caught them off guard.

"What the crash was that?"

"I don't know." Titans-KF hissed as he shook his hand to numb the pain. "…Anywho, I'm Wally. Wally West."

Upon hearing that, Bart stared wide-eyed at his doppelganger as the rest of Nightwing's team grew eerily quiet, causing Wally to raise an eyebrow at them. "What? If this is about me revealing my secret identity, we just figured it'd make things easier. The Graysons did it."

"It's…a bit more complicated than that." Tigress explained.

"How?"

She did her best to avoid eye contact. "...We'll explain later."

Robin then made a gesture towards the tower. "We should probably continue this inside."

Nightwing nodded before turning to Aqualad. "You take it from here, Kaldur."

"Are we just not caring about secret identities anymore?" Superboy exasperated.

"Nnnnope." Wally and Bart synchronized. "Race ya to the top!"

Off they went in twin red-yellow blurs, the various members of both teams shaking their heads at their antics before Aqualad took a deep breath. "Shall we proceed?"

Robin nodded. "Let's go."

The Titans led the way as they escorted their guests towards the front door. Miss Martian was the last to move, choosing to fall behind the others so as to avoid a certain gray-skinned teenaged girl who was remaining close to her charge. She lifted her gaze ever so slightly to peer at Beast Boy… _their_ Beast Boy, from under her hood.

' _I'm sorry…Garfield.'_ She apologized telepathically.

' _Don't try anything like that again.'_

Her heart skipped a beat when she realized her message had been intercepted by none other than the intended recipient's gray-skinned guardian, who M'gann could sense was mentally glaring at her without even turning to look back in her direction. So she kept her head low, maintaining her pace with the rest of the group as the one called Starfire flew ahead of everyone else.

The orange-tinted teen hovered within the very large doorway and then threw her arms out while an enormous smile decorated her face.

"Welcome to Titans Tower, new friends!"

(X)

 **Ops Room…  
**

After riding the elevator to the top, the two teams entered the Titans' favorite hang-out spot within the walls of their own home that also doubled as their meeting place prior to embarking on missions, a perfect place for their upcoming discussion.

Aqualad gawked at the interior design. "Impressive."

Robin smirked proudly. "Thanks. We all pitched in to help build it."

Cyborg crossed his arms proudly. "Our first real team exercise. I provided the tech, Starfire the muscle, and Robin the green." He rubbed his index finger and thumb together to illustrate.

Tigress put her hand on her hip. "And how'd you afford all of this?"

The boy wonder looked to his older counterpart with a grin. "I saved my allowance."

Nightwing grinned back, only for the moment to be interrupted by a loud belch from the kitchen area followed by both Kid Flashes peeking their heads over the table, their masks pulled back and their faces littered with crumbs as they waved sheepishly. Both team leaders shared a look of reluctant acceptance before Aqualad gestured to the large couch further up, Robin quickly nodding before the group approached the epicenter of the room.

Aqualad perched himself on the couch while Robin sat across from him on the middle stool in front of one of the smaller computers. The rest of the teams spread out in a circle around them, the Kid Flashes joining in after they'd wiped their faces clean.

With everyone now situated comfortably, Robin folded his hands together and leaned forward in his seat. "So, where do you want to begin?"

"With a question." Aqualad straightened his posture. "Am I correct in assuming that your city was held prisoner within a massive dome for the past year?"

"…Yes. I'm guessing the same thing happened to you guys?"

"Correct. One year ago from today, we visited a small town called Happy Harbor to build a monument to one of our friends who fell in the line of duty, but before we could even pick up our tools…"

"The dome came down, trapping you inside and taking away all your powers?"

"Precisely."

Cyborg moved to rest his arm on the back of the couch. "And then today, out of nowhere, some announcer guy tells ya'll to get ready right before the domes go 'pop' and you're attacked, right?"

"Yeah." Superboy chimed in. "By a group called the Masters of Evil. Never even heard of them before now."

"We encountered a team of villains previously unknown to us, as well." Starfire spoke up. "Does the 'Sinister Seven' sound familiar to you?"

"Not one bit." Tigress admitted.

"Anyone else noticing a pattern here?" Raven wondered aloud.

"It's not over yet, I'm afraid." Zatanna added.

"Whaddya mean?" Beast Boy asked her.

"Have you also failed to establish communications with your allies like we have?" Aqualad continued with the questions.

"Yes, and we can't figure out why." Robin confirmed.

"We did." The Atlantean then turned to Nightwing. "Show them."

The older Grayson reached into his belt and retrieved a small, disc-shaped object that he then threw on the table, where it projected the same image that Sphere procured from her global scan earlier that day, everyone scooting a little closer to get a better look.

"What're we looking at here?" Wally asked.

"The planet we're all currently on." Miss Martian answered, finally joining in the conversation as she pulled her hood back. "After we fought the Masters, we performed a planetary scan to try and locate the Justice League and discovered this instead."

"It is how we managed to locate you." Aqualad added. "We didn't recognize your city or your tower and decided that reconnaissance was the best course of action."

"Our home does kind of stand out." Jinx piped up.

Robin narrowed his eyes at this newest development. "So the domes were used to transport us to a whole other world, but why?"

"That is what we hope to uncover, but there are still a few outstanding issues apart from that." The Atlantean looked back and forth between two specific individuals. "The presence of two Richard Graysons being one of them."

Robin and Nightwing locked eyes again. "We've already determined that you aren't my future self."

Bart leaned close to Wally. "How would they know that?"

The red-headed speedster pointed at his Tamaranian teammate. "Apparently she time-traveled to the future at one point."

"…Crash."

"So let's compare notes." Nightwing responded to his counterpart's statement as if the Kid Flashes hadn't spoken, gesturing to Aqualad. "Back when I was 13, when _I_ was Robin, Aqualad, myself and Bart's predecessor first formed this team from the protégés of various members of the Justice League. Our purpose is to execute covert operations on behalf of the League against a secret organization of villains known as The Light."

Robin glanced to his own team briefly. "When I was fifteen, I left Batman's tutelage and came here to Jump City to start my solo career. During my first night on patrol the city was attacked by the Gordanians, so I joined forces with Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven to fend them off. We won, and then agreed to remain together as a team, the original Titans. We operate independently and have since expanded our ranks immensely during the past three years."

"Hmm, two different teams…"

"Two different backstories…"

"And two different Graysons." Nightwing looked to his own team for assistance. "Thoughts?"

"Alternate realities." Miss Martian concluded.

"I KNEW IT!" Beast Boy shouted, but once all eyes were on him, he began rubbing hick neck nervously. "Uh, I mean…I watch a lot of shows that tackle this sort of thing."

He failed to notice Miss Martian grin at his enthusiasm.

Jinx rubbed her temple as she processed everything she just heard. "So someone or something just…plucked us from our timelines and planted us on some random mudball?"

"I'd like to speak to them about that." Superboy growled.

"In due time." Aqualad iterated.

Starfire approached the table and studied the hologram closely, specifically the highlighted portions across the continents. "And what are these?"

"We aren't 100 percent sure." Tigress confessed. "But we think they might be other cities and civilizations. Yours was the first one we encountered because you were the closest to us."

"Could they have been contained within domes as well?"

"Maybe, or they could be the ones responsible for all of this."

There was a beat of silence before Beast Boy broke the ice. "Soooo…now what?"

Both team leaders refocused on one another.

"Now…" Aqualad began. "…we gather our bearings before we continue with our investigation into this strange new world. We could use your assistance."

"Same here." Robin agreed. "You guys are welcome to stay for a little while, just please remember that you're our guests."

"Of course."

"Well, now that that's settled…" Nightwing spoke to his younger counterpart. "There are some things I'd like to talk to you about. Alone."

Robin got up from his seat and began making his way toward the exit. "Sure, I know just the place."

Nightwing walked alongside him, grinning knowingly. "Is it a dojo?"

Robin grinned right back. "What makes you say that?"

"Hey, wait!" Beast Boy called out to them. "What're the rest of us supposed to do?"

"Interact, mingle, get to know each other." Nightwing answered.

"If we're going to be working together, it helps if the person next to you isn't a stranger." Robin as the door closed behind him and his soon-to-be sparring partner.

Now left alone, the remaining members of both teams sat in awkward silence for a few more seconds, occupying their time by either twiddling their fingers or whistling nonchalantly until Cyborg focused his attention on Aqualad.

"Sooo…you're the Aqualad of your timeline, huh?"

Kaldur visibly relaxed at the opportunity for conversation. "Yes, I am. I was mentored by Aquaman himself."

"Nice." Cyborg mused. "Must've been tough being the star pupil of the king himself."

"Indeed, it was difficult trying to live up to his expectations, but with his guidance, I surpassed them." His expression then became quizzical. "Although I am curious: what makes me so different from your Aqualad?"

"Well, there are some differences..."

"Like what? Is he not Atlantean?"

Considering who he was talking to, Cyborg's response didn't miss a beat. "No, he isn't _black_."

Aqualad raised an eyebrow. "…I see." The sound of giggling from his left made him turn to see Rocket doing her best to contain her laughter.

"I-I'm sorry." She breathed out as her composure returned.

Cyborg's eyes widened as a thought struck him. "So, ya'll got your own ship parked right outside?"

Aqualad and Rocket refocused on the bionic teen. "Yes. It's called the Bioship and belongs to Miss Martian."

Cyborg gestured towards the door. "Well how about I take you down to the garage and show you the T-Ship? We can talk shop there."

"Sounds good to me." Rocket affirmed as she stood from her seat, helping up her boyfriend afterwards.

"Lead the way." Aqualad said as the three began walking away from the group.

"Just so you know, I got one rule." The bionic teen began as he raised his index finger. "Nobody touches the T-Car without my permission."

"'T-Car?'" Rocket asked him with a chuckle. "What, you also got little coffee mugs called 'T-Cups?'"

"Haha, very funny." He mocked. _'How did she know?'_

The door opened automatically to let them through, then shut behind them just as quickly.

Another moment of silence occurred before Jinx turned to Zatanna. "Not to judge a book by its cover, but I'm assuming you're a magic user also?"

Zatanna smiled. "Yes, I learned from my father who specialized in vocal incantations. What magic do you specialize in?"

Jinx snapped her fingers and created more sparkles. "The 'bad luck' kind. And I happen to know of a lovely pile of rocks back outside just waiting to be enchanted. Care to join me?"

"Sure."

Another two heroes gone.

Superboy watched them leave from over his shoulder, but when he turned back around, he sound the beaming face of Starfire inches away from his. "Gah!"

"I am sorry to startle you, but I must ask." She began as she leaned back to give him more space. "Are you related to Superman in some way? That is to say, the one from _your_ world?"

Superboy coughed to regain himself. "Um…yes. I'm his clone…well _half_ -clone, but still…"

The orange-tinted teen clasped her hands together. "Glorious! I have always wanted to test how strong Tamaranians are when compared to Kryptonians."

She then grabbed ahold of his wrist and began pulling him towards the door. "Hey, whoah…"

"Our gym has a rather large strength tester designed by Cyborg. We shall test our abilities there!"

Conner looked back to the couch. "M'gann, a little help?"

But the young martian playfully grinned and waved at him as he was dragged along, giggling at his shocked face until the doors shut once again, but then she felt a presence next to her and turned to see Raven looming over her. "Um, hi?"

"We need to talk about what happened earlier." The Azarathian declared in a low tone. "Follow me"

M'gann watched as the teenager in front of her became enveloped in dark energy before sinking into the floor. She then shook her head and did the same, decreasing her density and phasing through the floor as well.

Tigress cast one look to the remaining three boys in the room before letting out a sigh. "I'm going to head up top and get some air."

Wally silently waited for her to leave before acting. "I'm gonna use the bathroom." And half a blink later, he was gone.

That just left Beast Boy and Bart alone in an otherwise vacant room staring at each other.

Beast Boy then gestured to the couch. "Wanna play Super Mega Monkeys 4?"

Bart shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

(X)

 **Raven's Room…**

M'gann felt a slight chill in the air as she floated down into the dim enclosure of what she guessed was the dwelling place of her slightly creepy guide, if the gothic furniture, creepy lamps hanging from the ceiling and overall dark atmosphere enveloping the place.

But what made her even more uneasy was the fact that she couldn't see Raven anywhere.

"Please have a seat."

Until she heard her voice right behind her, the suddenness making her jump before she turned to see Raven standing there with a picture frame tucked under her arm. The gothic teen then gestured to a small stool next to her bed, M'gann getting the message and moving towards it.

Once she was seated, Raven sat down on the edge of her bed, placing the picture frame face-down in her lap and fixing her intense gaze on her interviewee.

M'gann took a deep breath. "So, you're a fan of art deco, I see."

Her feeble attempt to ease the tension worked somewhat as Raven released a breath from her nose. "Yes I am, but we both know the real reason why I brought you here."

M'gann sighed. "You want to talk about Garfield."

Raven nodded silently, prompting M'gann to keep speaking, her index fingers pushing against each other in nervousness. "Okay, just so we're clear, I know now that he isn't the Garfield that I know, and I can clearly see that he is very important to you." She paused to take a breath. "And I'm sorry for what happened, but mine wasn't with us when we got trapped in our dome, so when I saw him again I was just so happy."

"I noticed." Raven acknowledged. "But what exactly is your relationship with your Beast Boy?"

"He's my little brother."

Raven's eyes actually widened a little at that reveal. "So he's a martian in your timeline?"

"No, well partially." She began to elaborate. "When he was eight years old he was caught in an explosion that he needed a blood transfusion to heal from, so I shape-shifted my blood to match his and donated it to save his life. He gained the ability to shape-shift from it, as well as green skin and hair." Her smile then turned upside-down as she lowered her head. "A while later his mother was killed and he had no father to care for him, so I took him in. We've been close ever since, up until the past year, that is."

Raven stared for a moment longer, registering the sincerity of her words with her empathic abilities and was glad to see the martian girl check out. She could feel the sibling love radiate off of her in waves, but also disappointment and sorrow over the reality of her Beast Boy still being absent from her life.

The Azarathian lowered her gaze to the picture frame still in her lap. "Our Beast Boy doesn't have any parents either." M'gann raised her head again, waiting patiently for her to continue. "His parents died in a boating accident shortly after he got his powers."

"How did he get them?" M'gann asked.

"He fell ill after being bitten by a green monkey, so his parents gave him a serum that went one step further than healing him."

"A green monkey?"

"I guess our world is a little weirder than yours." Raven shrugged. "Anyway, after his parents passed he joined the Doom Patrol, but eventually got fed up with them and found his way to us."

"What is he to you?" M'gann pressed, eager to learn just what the reason was why Raven was so protective of her world's counterpart to the martian's adopted sibling.

Raven looked back down to the picture frame. "At first I couldn't stand him. I thought he was the most clumsy, annoying creature in existence, always cracking jokes and butting into other people's business. But now…"

She turned the frame over, M'gann unable to see what was on the other side from where she was sitting, so while Raven was still looking down, she got up and quietly walked over to the bedside before perching herself next to her and looking at the picture.

It was a photo of Raven and Beast Boy sleeping on a couch, Garfield dressed in a simple red t-shirt while Raven wore a purple one, and both were resting their heads against one another with their eyes closed in absolute contentment, a bit of drool leaking from Beast Boy's open mouth. At the bottom of the photo one could see an open book resting on each of their laps, and in between the two was the sight of their hands joined together, fingers laced tightly as they slept.

M'gann then turned to see Raven smiling warmly at the sight, and she picked up faint traces of numerous memories the grey-skinned goth had of all the times she and her Beast Boy shared.

"…now I can't even imagine life without him." Raven admitted as her fingers trailed across the glass covering.

M'gann grinned in appreciation at the confession she was given. "He means an awful lot to you, doesn't he?"

"No one has ever made me laugh or smile as much as he has, and…I will do anything to keep him close." She then noticed M'gann's smile, and thus her own happy expression quickly faded away. "Please understand that that was kinda difficult for me to say."

"No, it's okay. I understand." The martian tittered. "Hey, how about we make a deal?"

Raven's eyebrow rose. "A deal?"

"Yeah. And again, I know he isn't my Garfield, but we both care about him, so…why don't we both agree to look out for him until we can find our way back home?"

The goth smirked. "Sounds okay to me."

(X)

 **The Roof…**

The quiet serenity of the Tower's vacant summit was suddenly interrupted by the loud "slam" of the door opening, and after spending the last several minutes just trying to find the roof access, Tigress at last stepped through the threshold leading to her goal, only to be greeted by the near-blinding rays of the setting sun.

"Ugh, finally." She groaned as she lifted her hand to shield her eyes, only to gasp when she heard the door suddenly shut behind her. She quickly turned around, staff at the ready, only to see Wally leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed, so she immediately put her weapon away. "Oh, it just you."

She then began walking back towards the door again. "I'll just find somewhere else to…"

"It was me, wasn't it?"

That stopped her cold. "What?"

Wally fixed his seemingly emotionless gaze on her, although she could make out a small hint of sadness in his eyes. "Bart's predecessor, the other original member of your team, the one you were building a monument for back in your home. It was me, or rather _your_ version of me, am I right?"

Tigress stared at him for a moment longer before letting out a sigh. "Yeah."

He lowered his arms and stepped away from the wall. "And I remind you too much of him?"

She began rubbing her arm and shrugged. "A little. He had green eyes and a different voice, but yeah, you're almost exactly alike."

He then gestured to the edge of the roof. "Can we talk about it? Cause we've all got a lot on our plates as it is and getting rid of any potential drama would probably help out."

"…Why not?"

And so they quietly approached the edge of the roof where they sat down and let their legs dangle over the edge. Tigress took her mask off and set it down next to herself while Wally pulled his cowl back.

"So, apart from good looks…" He began. "What else did your Wally and I share?"

She gave an appreciative smile at his attempt to lighten the mood before raising one digit. "Do you like to eat?"

"Six meals a day." He proudly declared.

"Quirky one-liners?"

"Every other sentence."

"Think your good with the ladies?"

" _Think_?"

They both shared a little laugh after that, and once they'd calmed down, Wally's expression became forlorn. "How did it happen?"

Tigress frowned as tears began to form in her eyes. "He wasn't fast enough…"

She sniffed once, prompting Wally to place his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pried."

"No, it's fine." She said as she wiped her eyes. "It's just…the last thing I expected was seeing him again alive and well."

"But I'm not him." The redhead affirmed. "And I don't plan to take his place."

"Nobody could, but thanks for understanding."

"Don't mention it."

They sat there in silence for the next few minutes, taking a moment to look down and observe as Zatanna and Jinx practiced their magic on a large pile of rocks next to the shore. They would each take turns lifting one of the large stones so the other could then destroy it in a more creative way than the last, whether it was simply shattering it to pieces, liquefying it, or turning it into a pair of comfy chairs for when they took a break.

Jinx then looked up and noticed her boyfriend sitting atop the Tower, so she waved at him, a gesture that he returned, before blowing a kiss at him right as a purple lip construct appeared next to his head and pecked him on the cheek, making him blush something fierce.

Tigress giggled at the sight before giving him a pat on the back. _'He's got it baaaaaad.'_

She then grabbed her mask and began making her way back towards the door, and upon opening it, looked over her shoulder to see Wally making signals down to where his significant other was located, only for her smile to fade away right as she shut the door behind her.

KRAKOOM

On Tigress' side of the door, the sound was muffled, she herself assuming that it was lightning either of the weather sort or from Wally himself. But on Wally's side, the sudden and completely unexpected loud noise made him jump in his spot. He strained his neck as he turned around just in time to see a few crackles of golden lightning surge up and down the door Tigress departed through before they faded away.

"Huh. Weird."

(X)

 **Raven's Room…**

"Agh!"

Miss Martian and Raven immediately dropped their books and clutched their heads, which were now throbbing from the swift jab of sharp pain now ringing through their skulls. It took a full ten seconds for it to subside, and which point they looked to each other for answers.

"Raven…what…was that?"

"I…don't know." The Azarathian confessed whilst shaking her head. "Some kind of…presence, I guess. It sounded…desperate."

"We should probably tell the others soon."

"…Yeah, sure."

They then went back to their silent reading, although it took a little over a minute for their hands to stop shaking afterward.

(X)

 **The Garage…**

"Is something the matter, Cyborg?"

Cyborg turned away from the small computer monitor to see Aqualad and Rocket standing next to the T-Car, the latter giving the bionic teen's baby a very appreciative look at its interior through the passenger-side window. He then quickly turned back to the screen and made note of the massive energy spike the Tower's systems detected for a brief second before it vanished.

"Nah." He shrugged as he began making his way back over to his guests. "Now, let's get my baby on the dynamometer and I'll show ya what she can do!"

"I'm down with that!" Rocket cheered as she hopped in the driver's seat.

"Now remember: she ain't your standard car so some things are a little…"

VROOOOM

SCREEECH

CRASH

"Um, my bad?"

"…different." He sighed as his human eye twitched.

(X)

 **The Dojo…**

Robin unleashed his fists of fury as he bombarded Nightwing with rapid-fire chain punches a la Wing Chun, the older Grayson either blocking or dodging each and every one until he saw his opening and pushed his opponent away. Robin immediately countered with a roundhouse kick that his counterpart blocked before both struck each other's neck with a karate chop.

Robin stumbled back, as did Nightwing, and then they both moved towards the wall and collapsed against it.

Robin wiped the sweat from his face as he grinned. "You're…you're pretty good."

"What can I say?" Nightwing asked as he panted for breath. "We had a pretty good teacher."

Being reminded of his former mentor caused Robin's face to immediately harden. "To an extent."

Nightwing was stunned by his response, but quickly formulated his own. "Why did you leave, anyway?"

Robin turned towards him. "Why did you stay?"

The abruptness of the question forced Nightwing to take a moment to collect his thoughts. "…You and Bruce had a…disagreement, I take it?"

Robin huffed. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

Nightwing sighed. "It usually is with us, isn't it? Being his apprentice, and all."

"Yeah. 'Simple' tends to get chucked out the window whenever someone signs up to be the next boy wonder." He exhaled loudly and rested his head against the cool surface of the wall behind him. "It shouldn't, though."

"With our kind of lives, 'simple' is whatever we make of it." The older Grayson attempted to encourage.

"I thought I could make it on my own." The spikey-haired hero lamented.

"It looks like you didn't have to." Nightwing pointed out.

A small smile grew on Robin's face. "Yeah. They're the best."

"Especially Miss Sunshine, from the looks of it."

Robin blanched. "Her name is Starfire, and how'd you…?"

Nightwing waved him off. "Please, we all saw how you two held hands in the elevator and gave each other those looks."

Robin sighed again, but this time it was in elation as he thought of the girl whose near-constant cheerful attitude brought so many happy moments to his life.

"What about you? How're things between you and Zatanna?" At Nightwing's shocked expression, his grin widened. "You and I aren't all that different."

The older Grayson smiled at that factual tidbit. "Great. Things were a bit rocky at first, heck we even split up for a long while, but ironically enough, being trapped in our dome helped us to reconnect."

"Good to hear."

Taking one last deep breath, both Grayson determined that they had rested long enough and stood up.

"How do you think they're all doing?" Nightwing asked as he rotated his shoulder.

Robin stretched until he felt his back pop. "I'm sure they're getting along just fine."

(X)

 **Gym…**

"Is that…all the strength…you are capable of!?"

Superboy grit his teeth as he struggled to keep himself standing upright as the immense force of the weight lifting machine bore down on him, his palms sweating as he pushed against the metallic bar over his head, the meter on the small console next to him reading that it was set to its maximum capacity.

"I could…ask you the same…thing!" He shouted back at Starfire, who was also doing her best to withstand the weight of her own identical machine right across from him. "Didn't…you say that your kind…were…resilient?"

"Are not…Kryptonians…meant to have…unlimited strength?"

"I'm only half…but that's…more than enough…to outclass you!"

"Gloat all you wish…but you will still lose!"

"In your dreams!"

"I'm not sleeping at the moment!"

"Me neither!"

"GAAAGH!"

"RAAAGH!"

 **Author's Note** :

I hope I did a good job on this, grouping both teams up with those I'd felt they'd connect with the most. How'd I do? And don't worry, there will be plenty more shenanigans later on.

As always, please leave a comment/review and recommend this to others if you wish. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next time: They greatest heroes of two New York Cities meet face to face at last.


	12. The Red, White and Blue

**Queens…**

A light breeze blew against the fabric of his costume as Spider-Man stood on the sidewalk outside the alleged precinct where he and Captain Stacy were awaiting the impending arrival of these "Avengers," as they called themselves. Both the hero and the law official were staring at the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the distance where the leader of the Avengers, "Iron Man" as he called himself, said that he and his group would be coming from, George having placed lookouts on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings to watch for any signs of them from afar off.

But while the captain was busy checking in with his men over his walkie-talkie, Spidey was busy with his own inner contemplation, his thoughts tormented by the ominous sense of familiarity regarding the two men he saw on the video feed barely an hour ago.

 _'I know I haven't seen them before, but somehow they knew me like I was their friend, or something. And what was with that star-spangled dude? Why did he stick out to me?'_

"Spider-Man." George's firm voice broke him out of his thoughts, and then he turned to see his friend looking down at him with concern.

"S-sorry Captain." The web-slinger apologized, scratching his neck nervously. "I was just thinking about our oncoming guests."

"Good, because one of my boys just spotted them approaching." He then pointed toward the distance, and sure enough, a small speck rose above the buildings. From this distance it appeared to be a simple bird, but after it angled in their direction and got closer and closer, only stopping to hover right above their heads, there was no mistaking that it was some sort of aircraft unlike anything Spider-Man had ever seen before.

 _'Whoah. Not even the Goblin's glider can compare to this thing!'_

As the amazing and sleek red and white painted aerial vehicle with a giant stylized letter "A" painted on both sides lowered onto the street in front of them, a ramp lowered from its underside with a loud "hiss," the paneling shifting to resemble stairs before their guests started to walk down one after the other.

The first was Iron Man himself, still wearing the same red and gold armor seen in the video feed, only this time he also sported a matching helmet to boot. Close behind him was the same star-spangled man he also met earlier, now with his cowl pulled back revealing a clean cut of blonde hair atop his head. The last man to step out was another blonde fellow, this one with longer hair and wearing a lab coat as he carried a briefcase in his right hand. The three newcomers stood before the police captain and the teenaged hero silently before Iron Man reached up and removed his helmet, exposing his grinning and goatee-endowed face to the pair.

"Captain Stacy, Spider-Man." He then cast a glance up at the snipers atop the precinct's roof. "It sure has been a heck of a day, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has." George acknowledged. "'Iron Man' is it?"

"Pssh, that's just the name I use when I'm on the job." The armored man waved him off. "For now just call me Tony, or Mr. Stark if you wanna be professional about it." He then gestured to his right. "And this here is my number two, Steve."

Steve straightened his posture. "Steve Rogers, aka. Captain America, at your service."

"And this here is Doctor Hank Pym, our science wiz."

"Hello." Hank greeted kindly.

"The rest of our team is back home keeping things in check."

Spidey and Stacy stared wide-eyed at the three men before glancing at each other then back again.

"You're full of it." They both said at once.

Tony obviously wasn't expecting that. "…Um, come again?"

George focused on Steve. "Captain America is just a legend from World War II."

Spider-Man the pointed an accusatory finger at Tony. "Yeah, and you're way too old to be Tony Stark. What game are you guys trying to play?"

The three Avengers looked back and forth between each other with varying looks of worry, Spidey and Stacy awaiting their response to their accusations before hearing Tony let out a sigh.

"We figured something was wrong when neither of you recognized us." He explained.

"Meaning what, exactly?" George pressed.

"As for who we claim to be, we are indeed the genuine article." Steve chimed in. "On that you have my word, Stacy, from one captain to another."

Spider-Man crossed his arms. "Really? Can you prove it?"

Tony's grin returned in full force. "That's why we brought Hank here."

Dr. Pym stepped forward. "Captain Stacy, you really need to see what I have in my briefcase. Inside contains crucial information regarding our situation."

"'Our' situation?" George inquired of the scientist.

"The one related to the domes."

Spidey blanched. "You mean there was more than one?"

"Precisely." The scientist answered. "And then some."

George looked straight into Tony's eyes and held his gaze for several moments. "C'mon, we should probably continue this discussion inside."

He motioned for the rest of the men to follow him into the precinct and on they went, Spidey glancing at each of the costumed men strolling along beside him, curious about the nature of the "proof" they claimed to have to back up their outrageous assertions stored within Dr. Pym's average-sized case.

 _'Well, this oughta be good.'_

(X)

 **Precinct Conference Room, one hour later…**

"This is unreal."

Spider-Man barely heard George's statement as he stared at the image before him. Dr. Pym had set his briefcase down on the center of the table before their discussion began, and after opening it, revealing a high tech computer installed within, it projected what appeared to be a large, transparent image of both Queens and Manhattan, the other three boroughs replaced with either open ocean or large grassy plains.

But then their discussion got underway, all sense of reason was seemingly chucked out the window as these Avengers stated their claims for how all of this could have transpired.

"Trust us, Captain." Dr. Pym calmly spoke. "We know it sounds outrageous, but logically this is the only viable conclusion."

"Okay, back up for a sec." Spidey raised his hands. "You're saying that your Manhattan and our Queens are from two separate timelines? Heh, no offense but what you're saying only fits into the category of theoretical physics." He paused. "And it just occurred to me how ironic that sounds coming from me."

Tony chuckled at that. "Trust us, web-head, where we come from we just call it 'physics.'"

George placed a hand on his temple. "How'd you even come up with such a claim?"

"The facts speak for themselves, Captain." Steve professed. "Where we come from, the Avengers are renowned for protecting not just New York, but the entire world from dangerous threats that no single hero could face alone, but according to you Spider-Man is the _only_ hero you know of period."

"Not only that…" Tony chimed in. "But you're also claiming that Cap here should only exist in the history books and I'm still in high school while my father runs Stark Industries." A slightly solemn look appeared on his features. "But to me, dear old dad's been gone for almost twenty years, and I've been running his company ever since."

Dr. Pym's expression became one of absolute certainty. "Normally these opposing facts would cause a whole host of problems and contradictions…except in one scenario."

Spider-Man finally put the pieces together in his genius brain. "The Multiverse Theory."

"Exactly."

Swallowing audibly, the young hero exchanged a worried look with George before turning back to their guests. "If…if what you're saying is true, then what do we do now?"

Tony offered a comforting smile. "Now, we help our neighbors."

Hank retrieved a small notebook and pen from his lab coat pocket. "Captain Stacy, if I may ask, how are your supplies faring?"

George hesitated to answer, a small part of himself still unsure if he could trust these men, but you know what they say: the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and there were many people currently under his watch who desperately needed a means to keep surviving, even with the dome no longer holding them captive.

Maybe these few could lend a hand in that regard.

"Not good." He finally revealed. "If the dome didn't vanish our resources would've only lasted ten more months at best."

"We've got just the thing." Tony declared as Hank typed a few commands into the computer within the briefcase, changing the image to that of Central Park...except it was encased within a large glass container that covered the whole area.

"We repurposed Central Park into one massive greenhouse that has provided food for all of Manhattan the past year." Hank explained. "Our secret is using genetically modified fruit and vegetable seeds to grow and entire years' worth of food for the whole island in less than a quarter of the time, as well as meat from cloned animal parts kept frozen in cold storage. We can ship a good portion of what we've accumulated over here and distribute it to the citizens of Queens at your leisure."

George and Spider-Man blanched, but it was the latter who broke the ice. "Seriously?"

"That is…and incredibly generous offer." The police captain breathed out.

"And free of charge." Tony joked, at last causing George to grin slightly.

But the veteran officer's expression fell once more as a thought struck him. "We also need to discuss new security measures in light of today's attack on our city."

"You guys too?" Steve deadpanned.

"I can help in that regard." Tony unveiled.

But before his explanation could be heard, Spider-Man felt a tap on his shoulder that drew his focus away from the CEO and toward the smiling visage of Steve Rogers standing beside him.

"While they're talking shop, how about I give you a tour of the Quinjet?"

The web-slinger's lenses widened again as he smiled beneath his mask. "Really?"

"Sure." The living legend then turned back to the other three men. "Permission to be excused, gentlemen?"

George considered it for a moment before shrugging. "Go ahead, but don't go too far."

"Have fun kids!" Tony waved them off as they began walking away. "But no joyrides in the Quinjet! Thor still owes me for the last one he wrecked."

Spidey turned to his accomplice with one lense raised. "He doesn't mean 'Thor from Norse mythology' Thor, does he?"

Cap said nothing, only grinned.

"…Oh you've got to be kidding me?"

(X)

 **Inside the Quinjet…**

"Well, what do you think?"

Spider-Man gawked at the slick interior of the Avenger's transport; the technology was unlike anything he'd ever seen, like something out of a big budget movie. He approached the cockpit and sat in one of the chairs, trailing his fingertips across the console carefully as he noticed his reflection on a small screen.

"It's…amazing. How can you even afford something like this?"

Steve sat down in the chair next to him. "Tony designed and built it himself. It's kind of what he does."

 _"Sometimes obsessively."_ A disembodied voice unfamiliar to the wall-crawler suddenly said.

"Who was that?" He asked as his head swiveled around.

 _"Me."_ The small screen then blinked to life, revealing a green and black colored eye in the shape of a bullseye. _"JARVIS, at your service."_

"Is he a little camera-shy?" Spidey whispered to Cap, who shook his head in response.

"No. JARVIS is an AI; that's what he really looks like."

"An actual artificial intelligence?" The web-slinger gasped. "Geez, what doesn't this thing have?"

"Cup Holders."

Both heroes burst into laughter after that blunt statement, and when it died down, Spider-Man let out a long sigh.

"So…you really are him? _The_ Captain America?"

Steve nodded. "I am, to an extent."

"Right right, the whole 'alternate reality' thing." Spidey then looked away for a moment as he contemplated whether or not to ask the question that had been plaguing his mind all day long. "Is…is there another version of me where you're from? I mean, that is how you recognized me, right?"

"Indeed, and there is." Steve confirmed.

"What's he like?"

"Well for one, our Spider-Man is a little older than you by about four or five years." The veteran soldier began, his smile remaining ever-present on his face. "As such he's been in the game a little longer than you have."

"How can you tell?"

"I was in the military, son; I know the difference in builds between an adult and a teenager."

Spidey chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Hehe, well maybe I'm just a little shorter than most?"

"Spider-Man, this Quinjet is sealed air-tight. Nobody outside will be able to hear a thing we talk about." The living legend assured. "You don't have to be afraid to be honest with me."

There was something about his tone and posture that told Peter that he could be trusted, so he inhaled then exhaled deeply and relaxed in his seat. "You're right. I wore the mask for only two-and a half years before the whole dome thing happened."

"It must've been hard." Cap comforted. "Being the only superhero around with no others to back you up against such odds."

"Yeah." The teenager lowered his head. "Not a lot of people appreciate it either, and before this whole fiasco happened, my reputation took an even worse dive because of an accident on my part. I didn't think any of them thought of me as a hero anymore."

"They will." Spidey perked up and turned back towards the captain. "Our Spider-Man dealt with the same problem: his efforts to protect the people of this city were repaid with ridicule and slander despite all the good he'd done."

The living legend's expression then hardened as he locked eyes with the younger hero. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him. It doesn't matter what the newspapers say or the politicians or the whole world. They don't define who you are, you do — and not by your words, but by your actions. The truth will come out, but until then, you just have to keep fighting on."

Peter could only stare at him in response to his speech, his brain trying to process every single word spoken and all the emotions coursing through him at a hundred miles an hour, until, finally, he managed to formulate a response.

"…Can I be your sidekick?"

Steve chuckled at that. "Well, now that you mention it, I didn't bring you in here just to show off our toys. The Avengers want to recruit you, Spider-Man."

"R-recruit me? For what?"

"In the wake of the domes receding, the Avengers have been unable to make contact with our allies, but we did pick up some sort of transmission originating from the far west about 3000 miles away."

JARVIS reappeared on the screen. _"The signal was unlike anything I'd ever analyzed, but I did manage to decode a few words, the most prominent being 'Vale.'"_

Roman's face reappeared in Peter's mind. _'A lovely little town on the west coast, full of all sorts of people, all of them equally robbable. A perfect place for guys like me to hone our craft.'_

"Vale?" The young hero whispered before his lenses expanded. "That's where Roman and his crew were from!"

Cap raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"After the domes went down, Midtown High was held hostage by some guy named Roman and his friends. He explicitly stated that he came from a town called 'Vale,' and that it was located on the west coast."

"Did he say anything else?"

"That apparently every single weapon in Vale also functions as some type of gun. His was a cane, and that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what his goons were packing."

"Thank you Spider-Man." The captain congratulated. "You've just given us our first lead for our mission."

"Wait, what kind of mission?"

"Stealth-Reconnaissance. A small team will travel to where the signal originates from and scope the place out, gather what information we can, and then return to New York."

"But why do you need me? What about the rest of your team?"

"Tony will be busy organizing the transportation of food and supplies here to Queens while the rest will be busy with securing both islands in case there's another attack; our numbers will be scarce, and since you've encountered these people already, you know more about what we may encounter better than any of us, and your spider-sense will be an invaluable asset. So whaddya say?"

Peter got up from his chair and began pacing around the compartment. "But even if I did go people would notice that I'm gone, both as Spider-Man and my civilian identity."

"JARVIS can help create a cover story for you."

"B-but there's still too much to…"

"Peter."

The captain's voice compelled him to remain silent as Steve approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, I know who you are, and I know you have a lot to worry about with school and your Aunt, but that's why we're here, to help ease the burden. You've worked alone for the longest time, but that doesn't have to be the case anymore. The choice is still yours to make, but know that no matter what, you're worthy of that mask you wear in my book."

Peter turned away for a moment, contemplating his words, then locked eyes with the living legend once again.

"When do we start?"

(X)

 **Mt. Sinai Hospital, Queens…**

Peter, now dressed in his civilian garb, walked into the room and took a seat next to the hospital bed where Aunt May was resting, her head and arm wrapped in bandages with more underneath her hospital gown that couldn't be seen. He reached over and placed his hand on hers right before he heard the door open again behind him.

"Oh, sorry." Peter turned and quietly gasped when he saw Gwen standing there with a small vase of flowers held tightly in her hands. "I'll come back later."

"Wait." Peter called out, making her stop. "Are those…for her?"

Gwen looked down at the flowers. "Y-yeah, they are."

Peter stood up and moved to the side so she could places them on the bedside table, after which they stood there silently observing the sleeping elder, the only noise being their light breathing and the rhythmic "beep" of the machines monitoring the elder Parker. Peter then felt something and then looked down to see the tips of his fingers brushing against hers. Gwen noticed it to, and when both realized what was happening, the pulled their hands away and tried to hide their blushes.

"S-so, it's been a while; how've you been?" He finally asked.

She shrugged. "As good as one can be after being set free from a year's worth of imprisonment in your own hometown."

"Yeah, it really took the term 'house-arrest' to a whole new level, didn't it?"

That got a reaction out of her, her mirthful giggle causing him to smile.

"Thanks. I needed that."

"You're welcome."

Gwen cast a sullen expression to Aunt May. "How is she?"

Peter inhaled deeply. "She's going to be okay, but the healing process will take a few days, at least. In the meantime, I'll be heading across the river to help with the relief efforts over in Manhattan. I'll be back when she's all better, but right now I just…need to get away from all of this."

Not entirely a lie, but he still thought it sucked to have to tell it.

Gwen crossed her arms over her chest. "I heard my father's announcement, as crazy as it sounded; it almost seems unreal that the other three boroughs are just gone. I sure hope these "Avengers" guys can pull through for us."

"Don't worry, they will."

More silence, more breaths, more beeps.

"…Look, Gwen, about you and Harry…"

"Peter, don't." She cut him off. "We've already talked about this."

"We didn't talk about it enough." He shot back. "Ever since that day, Harry's kept you so close that we barely see you anymore. Even your dad is worried."

"I know he is, but he doesn't understand that I have to do this for Harry." She retorted.

"Do what? Let him control you and keep you from your friends?"

"It's not like that and you know it."

"The only time your dad sees you is when you come home at night for dinner and sleep, and the rest of us even less than that."

"If not for me, Harry would've fallen off the deep end. He's lost so much that I just couldn't abandon him like that right after he lost his dad."

"What, like how you abandoned me right after we admitted to liking each other and wanting to start something?" His voice rose in pitch, but he didn't care; he'd been building this up for a while.

She stared at him wide-eyed. "That's not fair! I made the choice because Harry is my friend."

"He was my friend too, but he's using you just like his father used him. To him you're just a tool!"

SLAP

The next thing Peter knew was a stinging sensation across his cheek and then the sight of Gwen with her hand over her mouth as she tried to hold back her tears.

"…I-I'm sorry…" She choked out.

"…G-Gwen…?"

"Good luck on your new job." She darted for the door. "I'll check in on her while you're gone."

SLAM

The young hero could only stare blankly at the door his friend just left through before lifting his hand to his cheek and cursing himself. _'Way to go, Pete.'_

He then looked at his watch; 8:30 pm, half an hour before he was supposed to meet up with Captain America and disembark for Vale. Turning back to Aunt May's sleeping form, he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm sorry, Aunt May." He whispered to her. "But there's something I've got to do to ensure that you all are safe. I'll be back soon."

He then grabbed his backpack and made for the door, fidgeting as he thought of the contents inside.

 _'I can't believe I'm actually going to wear this thing.'_

(X)

 **Outside the precinct…**

"I haven't seen you dress like that in a long time, Spider-Man."

The hero in question used on hand to adjust the straps of his backpack, where his true costume was located, as he used the other to tug on the black fibers of his newish stealth costume before patting the white spider emblem on it that stretched around his abdomen.

"Yeah, well I had to come up with a few creative ways to keep myself sane this past year." He sighed.

"You sure you're up for this?"

The black and white clad hero shrugged at George's question. "I kind of have to be. I mean, this is only my first venture outside of the city into unknown territory and I'll be working alongside _Captain Freaking America_! So yeah, I think I'll do fine."

His accomplice's nervousness apparent, George placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you will."

The two went back to waiting on the sidewalk, and a couple of minutes later Spidey spotted the distant lights of the Quinjet approaching once more. A minute later the aircraft had set itself down on the street for the second time that day, and once the ramp lowered, Tony Stark stepped out just like before, except this time he was dressed in an ordinary business suit and carrying a red suitcase. Following right behind him was Captain America again, but then out came two new individuals: one was dressed in some type of black cat costume and the other was a regular-looking, albeit scrawny guy with long scraggly brown hair and a five o'clock shadow who was wearing a blue hoodie and purple pants.

"Hey there, gents." Tony greeted with a wave.

Spider-Man waved back. "Hey there, Mr. Stark. Hey, Cap."

"Spider-Man." Steve greeted with a nod before gesturing to his left and right. "This here is Black Panther and Bruce Banner. They'll be our partners for this mission."

Black Panther gave a small bow. "Greetings, you two."

"What's up?" Peter made a small motion with his hand. "So, out of curiosity, what can you do?"

Panther lifted his right hand, and then the claws of his glove began to glow purple.

"Cool." The teenager then turned to Bruce. "How about you?"

"Hopefully you won't have to find out." The scrawny man stated ominously. "For now, just know that I'm the secret weapon in case things get ugly."

"…Okay, then." Spidey turned back to Cap and noticed he was still wearing his usual, brightly colored costume. "Um, permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Go ahead."

"That outfit does NOT seem appropriate for this kind of undertaking."

Cap looked down at his uniform and chuckled before lifting his wrist and sliding his glove upward to reveal a small wristband underneath. He pressed a single button on it and then suddenly all the blue on his outfit shifted to black.

"Now we all match." He quipped.

Peter's glared at him, mildly upset that he'd been beaten to the punch. "You beat me by _one_ second."

Tony and George shook their heads at their colleagues' banter.

"So Cap, you ready to get this show on the road?" The CEO asked his number two.

"I am." Cap declared before turning back to Spider-Man. "Are you?"

The web-slinger cast one last look to Captain Stacy, who nodded with a smirk. "We'll hold the fort until you get back."

Turning back toward Steve, Spider-Man took a deep breath. "Let's do it."

And with that, Spider-Man followed Captain America, Black Panther and Bruce onto the Quinjet, the ramp closing behind them before the thrusters ignited and lifted the ship skyward before it disappeared into the sunset with a sonic boom.

"So," Tony began with a clap of his hands. "Why don't we get started, hmm?"

George nodded and then began leading the CEO into the precinct. "I've gathered all those in charge of storing and moderating our supplies. They're dying to meet you."

"I bet. Who knows, maybe afterwards we can all sit back and play a nice game of poker?" He then noticed George's deadpan look. "You know, to build trust."

"This is going to be a long night." The veteran officer sighed.

(X)

 **Near Stark Tower…**

Under the cover of darkness, a group of men and their plus one moved silently down the alley single-file, their footsteps light despite their bulky and mildly cumbersome equipment. Once they reached the end, the one in front peeked around the corner and beheld the enormous home of Anthony Edward Stark for the first time.

If only they actually knew that.

"Target in sight. Awaiting orders."

"Roger that." The one in the back said before he placed two fingers to the side of his helmet. "Advisor, do you read?"

 _"Loud and clear, 38. What's your status?"_

"We've followed the energy readings to a massive tower within an even larger metropolitan city. The coast appears to be clear from where we are."

 _"And your transport?"_

"Submerged in a nearby river and awaiting the call for exfiltration."

 _"Acknowledged. Now remember, your primary objective is to gather intel on your current location and determine if they have any connection to the Manhunters. Your secondary objective is to figure out where exactly we are in terms of the planet and system. Do not resort to violence unless it is absolutely necessary."_

"Understood, right men?"

The one in front of his nodded. "Yes, sir."

The next one shrugged. "Sure, yeah."

The final one sighed. "Ugh, roger that."

 _"Very well, then. You have your orders, commandos; now execute them. Advisor out."_

When the transmission ceased, 38 turned to his small, metallic companion. "Ready to go, little guy?"

 _"Breep-beepbopboopbeep."_ The stout machine chirped.

"Alright then." The team leader then hefted his rifle. "Delta Squad, let's get this show on the road."

 **Author's Note:**

Okay, correction: I **thought** these next few chapters would take longer. Guess I overestimated?

And don't worry, I'll be diving more into Gwen's "relationship issues" when the time comes. If she seemed a little OOC here, don't worry, I'll delve more into that at a later time.

So how'd I do? Please leave a comment/review and recommend this to others if you wish. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next Time: The ball keeps rolling as the commandos of Delta Squad go snooping around where they shouldn't.


	13. Too Easy

At their leader's signal, the four clone commandos marched across the vast courtyard, Fixer keeping his eyes forward, Scorch observing their right flank for any signs of activity while Sev checked the left, and Boss walking backwards to cover their flank and taking note of how R2-D2 was following close behind.

"Any sign of activity?" The squad leader whispered.

"Not from my angle, Boss." Scorch responded equally quiet.

"Mine neither." Sev added. "I don't like this."

"Sev, they should award a medal to whoever finds all the things you DO like, apart from killing clankers, of course; that'd be too obvious."

"Eyes front, Deltas." Fixer spoke up. "I think I see our way in."

"Lead on, 40." Boss encouraged, the squad never breaking their stride as they angled slightly to the left away from the front entrance and around to the eastward-facing side of the building until stopping behind a tall hedge that ran around the entire perimeter, he and his comrades ducking behind it. Peering through the brush, the commandos spotted their means of gaining entry into the facility: a basic-looking door with what looked like a keypad next to it watched over by two guards.

Two of the most underwhelming guards they'd ever seen.

"I saw one of them walking around the corner. Must've been their patrol route." Fixer explained.

"These are the guards?" Scorch blanched. "They don't even have armor."

"No, but they do have weapons, plus I can see them speaking into some sort of radio device attached to their shoulders."

"And I can see a camera right above the door." Sev pointed out. "I'll take that out first, you guys deal with the mooks."

Boss took stock of their situation. "Four commandos, three targets. Let's get this done quickly and quietly, Deltas, but set your weapons to 'stun.'"

"On it." Scorch affirmed as he and two of his brothers readied their weapons.

Sev aimed down the sights of his rifle's sniper mode, focusing on the pencil-thin red wire connecting the back of the camera to the wall it was attached to, while Scorch and Fixer honed in on the two guards and aimed for their heads.

Once their targets were selected, Scorch and Fixer flipped a small switch next to the triggers of their rifles. "Stun rounds on."

"Roger." Boss acknowledged. "On my mark; 3…2…1… _now_."

PEWPEW

Sev's shot found its mark, the cable split in two and severing the video feed, followed instantly by Scorch and Fixer pulling their triggers at once and hitting the guards with a stun blast aimed at their heads for maximum effectiveness, the two men toppling to the ground unconscious. If they were lucky, security would chalk up the downed camera to a malfunction, but that still only bought them a small window.

"Nailed it." 07 whispered.

"Move out." 38 ordered.

The squad moved like clockwork, rapidly, and quietly, making their way across the short distance between their hiding spot and the door. Two stood guard while the other two deposited the unconscious guards in the same brush they hid inside, Fixer making sure to swipe one of their ID badges afterward. When all was said and done, two commandos stood at the ready on either side of the door.

"Fixer, the door." Boss whispered. "Let's go in quietly."

"On it." The squad's technical expert began by inserting the ID badge into a slot right above the doorknob that caused the red light above that to switch to green. Pocketing the badge, Fixer slowly pushed the knob down until the door opened with a small "click."

"We're in."

Boss turned back to the hedges. "R2, move up."

Said astromech came out of his hiding place and rolled on up as quietly as he could, stopping a few feet from the threshold and waiting patiently for Delta Squad to enter first before following them in. The group passed through what looked like a custodial supply room before passing through another door, this one made of wood, and into a large spacious lobby.

The silver floors were polished to perfection, so much so that the group could see their reflections on it. To their left they could see the underside of an inactive escalator, a row of chairs along the wall in front of that, and what looked like a reception desk at the very end beneath the same five-letter word they didn't recognize, and straight ahead was a tall, golden statue for decoration purposes next to a row of plants running atop the wall to the right.

Boss silently ordered the team to move up using just two of his fingers, but after they passed the statue, they came across several waist-high security monitors, so he raised his fist ordering the team to halt.

"Hold Deltas, we've got an obstacle."

"We could just hop over them." Scorch thought aloud, his simple, yet foolhardy suggestion making Sev grumble.

"If it were that simple, you wouldn't have brought me along." Fixer reminded him.

"Breep-boop."

"Or him."

"He's right." Boss agreed. "Let's leave this one to the experts."

The squad leader pointed to the desk, highlighting it green on his HUD. Fixer got the message and moved over to the computer monitor resting atop the gleaming counter and then proceeded to type away on the keyboard.

"Hey, I'm an expert too." Scorch reminded everyone. "Just in a different field."

"We know." Sev said. "But your expertise has a habit of drawing unwanted attention."

Boss then noticed that Fixer had stopped typing. "What is it, 40?"

"Hmm, this is strange. I heard the guards speaking in galactic basic outside, but their version of the written form is something I've never seen before. I can't make any of it out."

"Did you try a translating it?"

"Yep, no go."

Boss then turned to the astromech. "R2, go help him out. He can't read the language, but you can read the codes. Hop to it."

"Boop-bop."

The droid rolled over to the desk and faced the computational equipment beneath it, taking notice of a small rectangular port that he could connect to. Protruding the appropriate arm from his midsection, he inserted the tip into the slot and was instantly connected, and thus began hacking into the security system and tweaking it so all five of them could pass through the checkpoint safely.

While his little mechanical companion got to work, Boss relayed the next step of their mission out loud. "Alright, we've got two potential objectives: one massive power source in the lowest level beneath us, and another that appears to be a cluster of dozens of smaller ones with the same signature nearly forty stories up."

"The first one could be the generator that powers this place." Fixer thought aloud.

"We should head there first." Scorch proposed. "If this _is_ where the Manhunters came from, we should make sure their production is halted for good. I didn't pack these demo charges for nothing."

"Let's not jump to conclusions yet." Boss warned. "Unless we have viable intel that proves it, we stick to our original objective. No big explosions, just yet."

"Got it." 62 couldn't mask the disappointment in his voice even if he wanted to.

"Sev, any thoughts?"

"Not on our objective, but about this place." The cold sniper said as he kept his sights trained on the next floor up that the escalator led to where he could make out what appeared to be a bar of some sort. "Why have we only encountered two guards so far? Where's the rest of 'em, or the nighttime staff?"

"It could be largely automated." Fixer suggested. "Like the factories on Geonosis."

"Except this one has a reception desk." Scorch proclaimed quietly. "I swear, if a Destroyer Droid offers us a brochure, I'm demanding a promotion when we get back."

"Sev's got a point, though." Boss affirmed. "Keep your eyes peeled."

A little chirp from R2 drew Fixer's attention down to him. "R2 says we're good."

"I'll go first."

Boss made his way over to the scanners and then stopped, taking a moment to consider what might occur if they activated when he passed through. Not that he didn't trust R2's words, but it never hurt to be cautious.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, and barely a second passed before he made it to the other side.

No alarms or sounds of any kind.

He was in the clear.

"All clear, Deltas. Form up."

The other four commandos regrouped on the other side, R2 disconnecting from the computer and following them as well and chirping once he rolled past them.

"He says there's an elevator to our left that we could take now that he's hacked the security system." Fixer revealed, pointing in the direction indicated at a large ten by ten silver door.

"Roger." Boss nodded as he began leading his team towards the elevator, the squad taking up positions on either side while Sev pushed the button, and just over a minute later, the door opened and they all filed into the spacious interior.

"Mmm." Scorch mused as he lowered his rifle, but kept his grip on it tight. "Roomy."

The rest of the squad followed suit and lowered their guns as well, but their eyes remained fixed on the door and the small screen above it displaying what most likely was how many levels they were passing on the way up.

"This is too easy, Boss." Sev stated bluntly out of the blue.

"Oh good." Scorch breathed out. "Now I don't have to say it."

"I know, 07." Boss agreed right before the elevator "dinged" and the door slowly opened, the whole squad reacting by hefting their rifles once again. "Be ready."

The clones stepped out in synch, R2 remaining safely behind them as they scanned the immediate area: a simple looking hallway stretching the length of the building from left to right illuminated by dim lights with rows of doors on each side. But straight ahead of them was another hallway more spacious than the one they currently stood in, and at the far end they could make out a large circular metal door with a glowing blue center.

Boss checked his readings once again and got his answer as to what that may be: the place where the dozens of smaller signatures were located.

"I see our objective dead ahead, Deltas. Let's get this done."

Delta Squad paced themselves as they moved down the hallway, and all in all things appeared to be going smoothly…until a camera they passed by turned ever so slightly to follow them as they walked by.

R2 picked up on this and stopped suddenly, spinning his head all the way around just in time for the camera to shift back to its original position.

"Breeeeep!"

Delta Squad halted their advance and spun to face him.

"What is it, R2?" Fixer asked.

"Breep-bopboopbeepbepberp!"

The tech expert's eyes widened under his helmet. "He says that we're being watched."

"I thought you said you hacked the security systems." Sev grunted at the droid.

"Boop-beeerp!"

"He did; it must be some sort of countermeasure."

"Which means our window is closing fast." Boss interjected. "Move!"

Picking up the pace, they at last reached the end of the hallway and stood before the massive door, Fixer approaching it and tracing his hand across the glowing center.

"What're we looking at, 07?" Boss asked.

"Hmm, nothing good: it's ten feet thick and held in place with over a dozen locks round-about. It would take at least half-a-dozen demo charges to blast through it."

Fixer then noticed an odd detail; a small square section to the right side of the glowing center that stood out amongst the otherwise smooth surface of the vault entrance. He gently pressed on it with the tips of his fingers and it slid away, revealing some type of handprint scanner underneath.

"I think I've found another way in."

Boss pointed at the vault door, highlighting it green on all their HUDs. "Get to hacking it then. R2, help him out."

Scorch and Sev moved to stand guard on either side of the vault while Fixer and the astromech got to work on the panel.

"What do you think is inside?" Scorch asked nobody in particular.

"Uncertain." Boss answered. "We'll take a peek, and if there are indeed Manhunters being stored in there, then we'll immediately report back to the Advisor on our findings."

"And then get his permission to blow this place to hell." Sev mused.

"Affirmative."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

All five of them instantly snapped their attention back the way they came and saw their new visitor: a humanoid droid of some type that was dark blue all over with small glowing red lights all around its armor plating, the biggest one in the center of its chest. It stood in the threshold unmoving even with their weapons trained on it.

"Identify yourself!" Boss demanded.

"My name is JARVIS. I am the artificial intelligence that oversees this tower in the absence of Mr. Stark. I have been watching you since your arrival. Allow me first to thank you for disabling the guards using non-lethal means."

"Um, you're welcome?" Scorch murmured.

Boss' grip on his rifle tightened. "You let us get this far? Why?"

"Observation." The AI confessed. "I altered the security protocols myself to fool your companion so that I could determine what your intentions were."

"Beeeep-beeerpbooopbop!" R2 screeched, clearly not happy that he'd been dipped.

"Language, please." JARVIS bid the smaller droid. "Moving on, I only chose to reveal myself when you voiced your willingness to destroy this facility. That is something I cannot allow."

Sev aimed down his sights. "Say the word, 38."

The droid then raised its hand. "Please, there is no need for violence. If you lower your weapons and come quietly, we will show you leniency."

"Forget it." Boss proclaimed. "We have our mission and we won't abandon it just because you asked nicely. Now stand aside!"

"…Very well." JARVIS then raised its right palm as it glowed brighter. "I am sorry it has come to this…"

BRA-BOOM

JARVIS suddenly became engulfed in flames as an explosive charge impacted it's abdomen, and when the smoke cleared, Boss saw the mangled droid lying on the ground with it half of its torso and it's left arm blown off, sparks shooting out of the gaping wounds as it twitched erratically before finally deactivating.

Boss look over his shoulder to see Scorch reloading a grenade into his rifle's anti-armor mode. "Good work, 62."

The demo expert shrugged. "Eh, I figured we were weapons free by that point."

"Indeed."

ZAP

"Argh!"

"Weeee-oop!"

Boss turned back to the Vault. "What's going on?"

Fixer backed away from the panel as he shook his aching hand. "We just got locked out of the system!"

"Our window's growing smaller by the second, Boss." Sev growled as he pointed his rifle this way and that.

The squad leader then placed two fingers to his helmet. "Echo-419, this is Delta-38; do you copy?"

" _Affirmative, 38. What's your status?"_

"Our mission has gone haywire. We need an extraction, on the double! Zero in on our coordinates and meet us on the roof. 38 out!""

" _Roger, Delta Lead! On my way!"_

When the transmission cut, Delta Lead looked down at the destroyed clanker and took note of how hollow the insides appeared before kneeling before it. He noticed that while its optics flickered on and off repeatedly, the glowing circle in the center of its chestplate remained intact. Acting on a hunch, he slowly reached down and gripped the outer edges of the circle and turned it counter-clockwise.

CLICK

Carefully, he retracted his hand and took the cylindrical device with him. He turned it over this way and that as he scanned it with his HUD, the results confirming that this was indeed the droid's power source, even if the energy it was giving off was classified as "unknown."

"We'll take this with us for study." He then slipped the small device into his backpack for storage before lifting his open palm and then clenching it into a fist. "Form up, Deltas; let's get out of here."

(X)

 **Queens, Police Precinct…**

BEEPBEEP

Tony averted his gaze from the cards in his hand to look at his watch where a small blue button was flashing in the center. By this point in their game, nearly every person at the table had folded save for Captain Stacy himself and a woman whose name he could not recall at the moment, both of whom had almost as many chips as he did were looking at him with questioning gazes. There was already a small amount tension in the air as they approached the end of their game.

He figured he could drag it out a bit longer.

"Sorry fellas, gotta take this." He set down his cards and then pressed the button. "JARVIS, how's my favorite AI doing?"

"Quite alright for the moment, sir. But I'm afraid we have a situation."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "What kind?"

"A group of soldiers calling themselves 'Delta Squad' have broken into your tower and are now attempting to escape with a miniature arc reactor, and I have detected a vessel of unknown origin approaching to extract them."

Whatever carefree demeanor Tony had up until that point vanished in an instant and was replaced with cold determination.

"Notify the others. I'm on my way." He lowered his wrist and pushed his chips to the center of the table. "I fold, guys. Something just came up."

"We heard." George said. "If you need a ride, I can arrange for a squad car to drive you there."

"No need." The CEO responded with a raised hand. "Rule number one of boy scouts…"

He then reached under the table and lifted the same red suitcase he brought with him for all to see, which then began to unfold and envelope him piece by piece, starting with his arm and working its way up.

"Always be prepared."

(X)

 **Stark Tower…**

"I think I found the stairs, Boss."

Logically concluding that the elevator would be booby-trapped by now, Delta Squad instead opted for finding an alternate path, one that they honestly never really liked taking during their missions because of how much longer it usually took.

A route they'd bitterly dubbed "The Detour."

Now granted, _this_ detour only required them to pace up about ten stories worth of stairs, but that was a small comfort in their current situation, which now involved a locked door leading to their escape route.

"Then hurry it up and get it open, 62!" Boss pressed as he trained his gun down the hallway.

Scorch nodded and retrieved the appropriate "lock pick" from his backpack and placed it just below the electronic door handle.

"Setting charge…Clear!"

BANG

"Door's open. Let's goOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Scorch!"

The rest of the commandos ran over to the door just in time to see their teammate screaming as his hands tried to find purchase while he tumbled down a…slide?

Well, not a slide exactly. Apparently the stairs had folded inward and transformed themselves into a vastly extended ramp with a surface so smooth and slick that even a highly trained commando of the Republic wouldn't be able to get his footing, and after that gravity would do the rest.

"Mr. Stark sure has some weird ideas." Fixer thought aloud.

"After him, Deltas!" Boss ordered before jumping down the ramp feet-first.

Fixer and Sev shared a look before shrugging and following suit, R2-D2 stopping at the edge and whining before giving chase, allowing himself to suffer the same embarrassing fate as his friends to speed things up.

"WHOOOOOOAAAAA!"

And so down they all went, a small part of them actually enjoying the ride as they descended past several floors, but Scorch, still ahead of the rest of the group, decided that eventually this fun little experience would have to stop at some point, so he grabbed a thermal detonator, counted the seconds, and then threw it down the slide, aiming for an oncoming door.

BOOM

The door was blown off its hinges seconds before Scorch slid by. Reaching back as he passed, he managed to grasp the doorframe and stop his decent, albeit with a painful jerk of his arm.

"Agh." Looking back up the ramp, he saw his other squadmates making their way down, and so extended his other hand. "Boss, grab hold!"

The squad leader did as instructed, grabbing the demo expert's forearm, followed by Fixer grabbing his ankle. Sev managed to grab the tech expert's foot as well, but barely had time to react before R2 passed him buy.

Luckily, he managed to grab the astromech's left leg, rendering the poor droid dangling upside down. "Gotcha, little guy."

"Beeeeerp-bopboop."

The next couple of minutes were grueling as Delta Squad hoisted themselves back up the ramp and through the door one commando at a time, but after R2 came through at last, they all took a moment to catch their breath.

"Well, that was…something." Scorch quipped. "Anybody wanna go again?"

"No!" They all said at once.

"Eh, fine."

Retrieving his rifle, Boss turned from his squad and realized that the floor they'd ended up on was one massive room filled to the brim with cubicles, and past the windows he could see skyscrapers illuminating the night as far as the eye could see. Not liking how their escape plan had gone downhill (almost literally), he reactivated his comm once more.

"Echo-419, change of plans. We can't make it to the roof so you'll have to pick us up several floors down."

" _Roger, 38. Which floor?"_

"Standby, we'll shine a beacon out the window for you to zero in on."

" _Acknowledged. I'll wait for you…what is that?"_

"What's going on?"

" _There's something in my flight path. It looks like…a man. A floating man."_

"Are you joking, pilot?"

" _No sir, I'm dead serious. Wait, now he's doing something with…OH SLAG!"_

KRAKOOM

The whole floor shook as Delta Squad winced from the pain in their ears brought on by what sounded like a lightning bolt. But then a flash of orange to their right caught their attention, and then they saw the last thing they wanted to see.

Their gunship rapidly descending with its left wing on fire.

"Oh blast." Scorch cursed.

Boss felt a twinge of panic in his gut. "Talk to me, Echo!"

" _Can't hold it...systems fail…going down…"_

Within a few seconds, the burning gunship disappeared from view, followed by the sound of a distant boom as it completed its crash landing, R2 letting out a worried whine.

"Echo-419?!" Boss shouted into the comm, receiving only static in reply. "We need to get to that gunship, pronto!"

"But we can't go up or down!" Sev reminded him. "What're our options?"

"Repelling down the side of the building, that's what." Fixer answered.

"Ready your equipment." Boss ordered as he began leading the squad across the room towards, the windows being their destination. "Scorch, get a charge ready to break the…"

CRASH

The squad stopped dead in their tracks and raised their rifles at their newest arrival that just smashed its way into the building through the window. It was almost the exact same shape and size as the clanker from earlier, but instead of being all dark blue with red lights, this one was a mixture of red and gold with blue lights across it's armor, not to mention the power core in its chest was shaped like an upside-down triangle as opposed to a circle.

However, when the droid stood upright, its golden faceplate retracted to reveal a man's face, his neatly trimmed goatee curving upward as he smirked.

"Hi there. Welcome to Stark Tower." His eyes then narrowed ever so slightly. "I'm Tony Stark."

"Nice to meet you." Boss said back. "Thanks for shooting down our comrade, by the way."

"Eh, don't worry." Stark waved him off. "Your friend is fine and being taken into custody as we speak."

"Oh, well that's nice."

"Indeed, and you'll be joining him soon, but it's up to you whether we use the easy way or the hard way to bring you in."

The only response Stark got were the sounds of the commandos powering up/reloading their weapons.

"Hard way it is then." He sighed as his faceplate slammed shut again.

BRA-BOOM

Scorch smirked when his explosive projectile made contact with its target, his cockiness assuring him that he would suffer the same fate as the last one did, only for his eyes to bug out when the smoke cleared and revealed Stark to be completely unscathed.

"Newer model." He proclaimed.

Stark then raised his palms and released blue beams of energy from them, forcing Delta Squad to take cover behind the cubicles.

"Okay, anti-armor won't work." Scorch shouted over the blasts. "What do we do now?"

Before anyone could reply, Sev's ears picked up a small sound akin to a glass cup shattering from behind him, and when he turned around he barely had time to react before catching an oncoming projectile heading straight for his face, stopping it just an inch from his visor.

' _An arrow?'_

His split-second analysis abruptly stopped when the tip sprayed him with some sort of green mist, but luckily his helmet's filters prevented him from breathing it in, whatever it was.

"Sniper, take cover!" He shouted as he discarded the projectile.

The squad, plus R2, each concealed themselves behind a different cubicle as more arrows zoomed passed their heads and embedded themselves in the floor.

Now that he was (relatively) safe, Boss peeked around his cover and noticed that Stark was remaining stationary, only raising his palms when he noticed the clones leaning into the open.

' _Why not just charge now while he's got us pinned?'_ Then he recalled how the first arrow sprayed Sev with something and then combined it with JARVIS' appeal to them earlier. _'They want to take us alive.'_

"Sev, can you spot him?!" He shouted without taking his eyes off of Stark.

"Not yet!"

RC-1207 was infamous amongst his brothers for being not just one of the best marksman in the commandos, but one of the best marksman in all the Republic, who could take the head off a Battle Droid at two thousand yards and his target would never see him coming, and that was just _one_ of his feats.

"The fiercest hunter of all his brothers," as Taun We would say.

His prey would soon understand that.

Judging by the angle at which the arrows were leaning, he placed his target somewhere in the building directly across the street to the east of the tower. Readying his rifle, he waited for the opportune lapse in his opponent's judgement.

It came when an arrowhead pierced through his cubicle and jutted out the other side right next to his head.

"There you are."

Quickly rising to his feet, he aimed down his sights once more, using his target's most recent shot to zero in on his location, and caught an out-of-place shade of purple in one of the windows.

PEWPEWPEWPEW

He emptied the clip just in time for the first shot to intercept and shatter another arrow before the next two hit the target's shoulder and leg, the pain causing him to collapse and avoid the fourth blast before it pierced his skull.

Unfortunately, the brief second Sev took to relish in another successful hit distracted him from the fact that his target had already released another arrow before collapsing.

THUNK

The archer's aim was true, for his arrow embedded itself in the front of Sev's helmet, sending the clone sprawling onto his back motionless.

"Sev!" Scorch wailed, fearing the worst. He crawled over to his brother's downed form and removed the offending object before checking his vitals on the bottom left corner of his HUD.

Orange.

"He's alive, just out cold." He then proceeded to drag the unconscious clone to safety behind another cubicle.

"Blast." Boss snarled. "This is taking too long!"

"What about the thermal imploders, Boss?" Scorch recalled.

"The prototypes?" Fixer blanched.

"Let's make this their field test, then."

"Agreed." Boss acknowledged before retrieving said explosive from his belt, his squadmates doing the same. "Throw 'em in 3…2…1…NOW!"

Boss threw his over his cover, while Scorch and Fixer rolled theirs' across the floor, and thankfully Stark, in his ignorance, caught the first one in his hand as he watched the other two roll towards him.

"Heh." He chuckled. "Rolling them won't do you much good, either."

That would cost him.

The function of the thermal imploders was to compress and heat the surrounding atmosphere simultaneously, resulting in a vacuum that, upon release, creates a large blast across a wide radius. The first phase of the detonation was a non-lethal wave of fire that would then be pulled back to the epicenter of said vacuum and cause a secondary explosion more powerful than the first.

Mr. Stark was about to get a front row seat to this little demonstration.

BRAW-KABOOM

Stark disappeared in an admittedly beautiful explosion that also erased several cubicles close by him, sending debris flying in all directions and shattering all the remaining windows on the floor. The squad remained idle until the dust settled and a keyboard smacked Scorch on his helmet.

"Ow."

"Fixer, can you see him?" Boss asked.

The tech expert stood up and then let out a low whistle as his eyes fell on Stark. He was lying on the ground with several parts of his armor on both his right arm and legs torn up with sparks spewing out of the openings as the blue lights across his suit flickered.

"He's down." He then turned back to his leader. "We should move now beforeAAGH!"

He was cut off when a blue beam of energy struck him on the side of the head and sent him crashing through another cubicle.

"40!" Scorch cried out, receiving no response as Fixer's vitals switched from green to orange.

Across the room, Stark had propped himself up on one elbow while his other hand was raised at the commandos. "Okay, I think I had a relapse there."

Scorch grit his teeth. "That's it!"

He stood to his full height and aimed his rifle at the struggling man.

"Fire in the hole!"

CLICK

"…Huh?"

CLICK…CLICKCLICK

Well, damn.

The next moment made him question his own sanity as what looked like a tiny man wearing a ridiculous black and gold costume came out of his rifle and then grew to the size of a full-grown adult right before his eyes.

"What the Force?"

"Hi there." The man waved. "I'm Dr. Pym."

ZZAP

The squad's demo-man then collapsed in an unconscious heap as his assailant, a woman in a brighter and more feminine version of the man's costume, approached from behind, her hands aglow in yellow light.

Once she stood over the fallen soldier, she place her hands on her hips triumphantly.

"And I'm Janet."

"Good job, honey."

"You too, sweetie."

CLINKCLINK

Both individuals looked down to see two metal cylinders at their feet.

"…Fudge."

BANG-ZZAP

The pulse of electromagnetic energy course through them, shorting out their suits' tech as they convulsed uncontrollably before collapsing next to the fallen Scorch and groaned in pain.

Not wasting any time, Boss nearly jogged out of cover, grabbed his fallen brother and then dragged him behind cover once again.

Breathing deeply, he at last came to realize that this whole mission had gone down the drain faster than they could've anticipated or planned for. His men were all down, their primary means of transport destroyed and their pilot captured, he was getting low on ammunition, and who knows how many more reinforcements Mr. Stark had at his disposal.

He hated having to call it quits.

"R2!" He called out in the droid's general direction. "Contact the fleet. The mission has failed and we need immediate…"

CRUNCH

A yellow-gloved hand punched through his cover, grabbed his shoulder and then threw him across the room. Quickly getting to his feet, Boss aimed at his newest target: a tall, red-skinned man wearing a green suit with a flowing yellow cape. When the newcomer narrowed his eyes, Boss pulled the trigger, but to his complete shock the blaster fire passed right through the man like he was made of air.

Then the yellow jewel on the man's forehead glowed and projected a red beam that sliced his DC-17 in two, rendering it scrap.

"Dammit!"

He then performed an impressive handspring and was back on his feet in an instant before drawing his DC-15s side arm and aiming it at the unusual…thing.

"What the hell are you?"

Footsteps to his right drew his attention away from the red, green and yellow being and towards a red-headed human woman wearing a skin-tight black leather outfit currently barreling towards him. He swung his blaster in her direction, but before he could get off a shot, she performed a front flip kick and knocked it out of his hands before kicking it across the floor and out of reach.

"Alright then." Delta-38 snarled.

He blocked her follow-up low kick with both his arms before charging forward and tackling her to the floor, but as he reared his fist back, she kicked him off of her with both feet. Stumbling back, he righted himself just as she performed a handspring and got back up as well, but Boss had already moved and thrown a left hook that she dodged and then grabbed once his fist passed her head.

Perfect.

CHINK

He then launched his right fist and slashed her across her cheek with his wrist-mounted vibroblade, causing her to curse in an unknown language, but his satisfaction was short lived when she clocked him in the throat, her gauntlet sending a small jolt of electricity through his jugular. Submitting to the pain, he let her go and clutched his burning neck while he wheezed.

' _Wait a minute. Why is she just standing there?'_

He took another couple steps back before he felt a green and yellow arm wrap around his neck and begin to squeeze.

' _Oh right. Forgot about him.'_

Boss struggled against the chokehold, even going as far as to try and stab the being with his vibroblade, only for it to break upon contact with his scalp. Darkness began to seep into his vision, his own body became heavier and heavier, and his limbs sagged.

He and his squad were beat…by a rich businessman wearing mechanized armor, a couple which could grow and shrink at will, a woman dressed as a Twi-lek assassin, and something that could phase through attacks like a ghost.

And so before the inevitable could occur, one last thought passed through his foggy mind.

' _This is…bantha…shit…'_

(X)

 **Avengers Mansion, the next morning…**

The lounge was virtually silent; Hank and Jan were on the couch sharing a bottle of water to wash away the lingering stiffness brought on by being electrocuted, Jane Foster was applying a fresh bandage to Natasha's cheek to protect her new stitches, Hawkeye was sitting on a nearby chair ribbing his bandaged leg and shoulder, Thor was leaning against the mantle of the fireplace keeping a close eye on them, and Vision was standing in the doorway keeping watch, only moving when he stepped aside to allow Tony and Ms. Marvel entry.

The CEO threw a folder onto the table before grabbing the remote and pointing it at the viewscreen, which came to life and displayed footage of the five soldiers plus their little robot friend locked in a cell.

"Okay, so Carol and I just finished our little…'interrogation.'"

"…And?" Jan asked as she finished the bottle and set it on the table next.

"Nothing." Carol answered with a shake of her head. "These guys are good; even I couldn't scare them into giving up anything."

Tony let out a frustrated sigh. "Nothing's turned up on our databases either, the ones we could access, anyway."

Hank pulled out a PDA and pressed a few commands. "DNA analysis shows that they're all nearly one hundred percent identical to each other. Normally that would indicate they're quintuplets easily, but I also detected evidence of extensive genetic modification and rapid cellular aging; that's not natural, it's design."

Jan's eyes widened. "You don't mean…?"

"I do: they're clones."

Tony turned to the Russian. "Widow, any chance HYDRA started a cloning program this past year?"

She shook her head. "No. HYDRA dropped that idea over three decades ago, deciding that it would be too costly to create a clone army for their plans only to dispose of them later when their purpose was fulfilled."

"Who else besides HYDRA could've taught them to shoot like that?" Hawkeye groaned as he eyed his own injuries with distaste.

"Regardless of their origins," Thor began. "We must be prepared for any more surprises bound to come our way other than this militant band."

"You've got a point." Tony agreed. "Luckily we've got JARVIS and the suits keeping an eye on things; nobody's getting the drop on us again."

"That may change, Mr. Stark." JARVIS declared as his image replaced the footage of the clones on the viewscreen.

Tony raised a worried eyebrow. "JARVIS, what exactly do you mean?"

"The clones' little mechanical friend is more devious than I anticipated: he piggybacked a distress call onto the one we've been broadcasting before I could detect it."

"Oh, that ain't good." Jan exclaimed.

"How far does the signal reach?" Thor asked.

"Very." Vision clarified.

"Has anything responded yet?" Tony pressed.

"Not yet, sir." The AI assured.

THOOM

A slight rumble reverberated through the mansion, everyone remaining still until it subsided.

"I retract my previous statement."

"What was that?" Jane asked as she pressed herself against Thor, who wrapped his arm around her securely.

"You all may wish to take a peek outside." JARVIS hinted.

"C'mon!" Tony commanded as he ran out of the room.

The Avengers all rushed into the foyer and then out the door into the front yard, Clint being the last to arrive due to his temporary handicap, and once all their feet touched the grass, they stared open-mouthed at the sky above them.

Or, more accurately, _what_ was in it.

A giant vessel shaped like a gray triangle and just over a third of a mile long if the techies' calculations were correct (and they usually were).

"Did they contact aliens, or something?" Jan exasperated.

"We're not gonna stand here and find out." Tony declared. "Thor, Marvel, get up there and prepare a proper greeting in case they try anything. Vision, you'll…"

BEEPBEEP…BEEPBEEP

Tony lifted his arm and pressed a button on his watch. "What now, JARVIS?"

"Sir, the ship is trying to contact us."

"Tell 'em if they're going to threaten us that we don't want to hear it!"

"That does not appear to be their intention, sir. See for yourself."

A holographic image appeared above Tony's wrist, one of a human with neatly combed hair and a fantastic beard, odd considering what he was expecting. The human then folded his robed arms across his chest and looked directly into Stark's eyes.

" _I am Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, General of the Grand Army of the Republic…and I've come to negotiate."_

 **Author's Note** :

Alright, new chapter! Sorry this took so long; I had a bit of a burnout and just decided to take my time with this one. Don't know if I'll get another one out before I start my internship, but who knows? I'll give it a shot.

How'd I do? Please leave a comment/review and recommend this to your friends if you feel it's worth it. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next Time: Two individuals, each wielding the most powerful weapon of their respective worlds, meet for the first time. What could happen?


	14. Gone Camping

**The middle of nowhere…**

"See anything yet?"

Max let out a sigh as he fought the urge to rub his slightly aching cranium, but before he could repeat the same response he'd given his grandson the last half dozen times, all within the last thirty minutes, his granddaughter beat him to it.

"For the hundredth time, dweeb, if anything shows up we'll see it on the radar!" She shouted at him from over her shoulder, not wanting to get up from the passenger seat of the Rust Bucket.

"Ugh, I know," Ben complained as he sank into his seat at the table. "But we've been driving for hours. I'm bored."

He was right. After Bellwood had been secured, the mayor assigned Max and his grandchildren the task of finding those who were behind the attack, but so far, they'd had no such luck. Still, being on the road like this, nobody else but the three of them,  
it felt like that fateful summer all over again, and for that, he could put up with his grandkids' bickering for a little while.

"Why don't you just go alien and fly around, or something?" Gwen suggested.

"I can't." Ben sighed, gazing at his still-yellow Omnitrix with a frustrated look. "Until this thing recharges, I'm grounded."

"It still hasn't charged yet? It's been almost half a day. What's taking so long?"

"I have an idea." Max, at last, spoke up. "You said that the new form you got from that 'Match' fellow had several superpowers at its disposal, right?"

"Yeah?" Ben answered, giving his grandpa his undivided attention.

"My guess is that all of those powers made his DNA extremely complex."

Gwen picked up on where his theory was heading. "The Omnitrix must have used more power than usual to process and activate it."

"Exactly." Max nodded, giving her a proud grin.

"So there's no telling when I'll be able to use it again?" Ben questioned, his tone slightly dejected.

"Doesn't look like it." Gwen shrugged.

"Great."

BEEP…BEEP…

Gwen and Max's eyes darted to the small radar screen on the dash.

"We've got something."

Ben gasped in joy before jumping out of his seat and running to the front of the RV, bracing himself on the two seats as he eyed the dash. "What is it?"

Max pressed a few buttons as he hummed in concentration.

"It looks like a ship a few miles ahead, above the clouds."

"What kind?" Gwen asked as she leaned in closer.

"Don't know; the computer doesn't recognize it. But then energy readings are off the charts. Definitely not Earth-like."

"What do we do?" Ben asked. "I still can't go alien."

"I don't want a fight," Max stated as he reached for the radio. "Let's find out who they are, first."

"Won't they know where we are if you contact them?"

Gwen sounded worried, not that Max could blame her. With Ben pretty much benched, for now, they no longer had their greatest tool to defend themselves if things got ugly. Gwen had spent most of the trip re-reading her spell book to memorize the spells  
once again, and the veteran Plumber had a stockpile of weapons in the Rust Bucket, but the fact still remained that they probably wouldn't last long in a prolonged engagement.

Diplomacy was simply the better option right now, not that didn't already have a few safeguards in place, mind you.

"I added a stealth function not too long ago. Unless I want them to find us, we're practically invisible. Be ready."

The kids waited with baited breath as their grandfather lifted the microphone and spoke into it, his voice stern and authoritative.

"This is Max Tennyson of the Plumbers contacting the unknown craft. Please identify yourselves."

There was a moment's pause where all the three could hear was static coming from the mic before a response came through, at last, the voice on the other end sounding oddly… _human_.

" _This is Hal Jordan of the Green Lantern Corps, and I'm sorry, but did you say you were a plumber?"_

" _What's a 'plumber'?"_ Came a second, gruffer voice.

" _A profession from Earth that involves installing, maintaining and repairing appurtenances and other fixtures related to cleaning and draining water supplies, mainly in regards to sewage removal."_ This one was female, and _very_ matter-of-fact,  
almost like a computer.

" _Ugh. That was worse than your definition of cheese."_ The gruff one commented.

" _Didn't they have plumbers on your world?"_ Another female asked, this one sounding more organic.

" _Well…yeah, I guess."_

" _You guess?"_

" _Can we please get on with it?"_ A fifth voice urged in a dry tone.

" _Right,"_ Hal said. _"Um, Max was it? Look, you are the first people we've found on this rock…"_

"Do you happen to know anything about that?" Max interrupted, anxious to find answers about what planet they were taken to and why.

" _Well…no, but maybe we could meet and compare notes?"_

Max looked to his grandkids, conveying through his raised eyebrow whether or not they should accept his offer.

Ben and Gwen looked at each other and shrugged.

"Worth a shot." They both declared at once.

Max nodded before redirecting his attention to the mic. "Very well, but don't start anything."

" _Wouldn't dream of it,"_ Hal assured. _"Now, where can we find you?"_

Max looked back at Gwen. "Be on the lookout for fireworks. Over and out."

The kids watched as their grandfather walked back to the kitchen and retrieved an advanced rifle from its hiding place within the stove.

"Ben, stay in the Rust Bucket," Max commanded as he walked outside, handing the boy a small laser pistol along the way. "Don't come out until I say so."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Gwen asked as she followed him out until he stopped in the middle of a small clearing.

He smiled and hefted his rifle. "When has that ever stopped us?"

CHIK-CHOK

"Light 'em up, Lucky Girl."

Gwen grinned as she began conjuring her magic in her hands before launching several balls of purple energy into the sky that exploded high above the tree line in a brilliant spectacle. She kept going at it for almost a full minute before she noticed a  
distant speck come into view high above her.

"I think that's them."

"Most likely." Max agreed, tightening his grip on his weapon.

As it descended, the speck took on the appearance of a sleek white vessel with green accents along its hull. A low hum reverberated through the air as it descended, and the Tennysons watched as it touched down on the other side of the clearing before  
a long ramp slowly jutted out from its underside and five individuals walked down it.

The first two were both human, one, a man, wearing a green and black suit with matching mask over his eyes, and the other, a woman, garbed in a somewhat revealing pink outfit. Two more individuals followed behind them, another male and female. This new  
male, clearly alien, had pale white skin and was dressed in an outfit very similar to the male human's, with the exception that this one was blue and black as opposed to green. The female next to him had light green skin and glowing blue eyes, seen  
clearly thanks to her white armor that was even more revealing than the human woman's attire. The final figure that came lumbering down the ramp was a tall, bulky humanoid pig, from the looks of it, wearing the same outfit as the human man, minus  
the mask.

The ramp closed behind them after they'd all stepped off, and from there both parties stared at each other. Nobody moved a muscle, each side waiting for the other to make a move until, finally, the human man called out to the elderly man across the clearing  
from him.

"Max Tennyson, I take it?" The veteran Plumber nodded, prompting him to continue. "I'm Hal Jordan. We spoke on the radio."

"You fellas come in peace?" Max asked.

"Yes, I assure you. Here, let me prove it."

Hal then raised his right hand, revealing a glowing green ring on his middle finger. Suddenly, his uniform and mask disappeared, now replaced by a pair of jeans, boots, and a gray t-shirt beneath a brown leather jacket.

"Hal?" The bulky pig asked, clearly shocked by Hal's actions.

"Just follow my lead guys." The human instructed.

His companions exchanged glances before they complied, their uniforms disappearing one by one as they were interchanged with casual human clothing, which Max and Gwen both found a little odd considering that three of the individuals across from them clearly  
didn't hail from Earth.

"How's this?" Hal asked.

Max turned back to Gwen and they both nodded.

"Good enough." The veteran Plumber called back to Hal's group. Max then lowered his rifle and, with a simple hand motion, beckoned Hal's group to approach. As they made their way over, he turned toward the Rust Bucket. "Ben, it's safe."

 _As far as my instincts can tell, at least._

Ben came scampering out of the RV and rushed to reach his grandpa's side. Once there, he cast a mildly concerned glance up to Max, who smiled reassuringly as he patted his grandson on the back.

"Are these your grandchildren?" The green-skinned woman asked, smiling at the two children.

"Yep. This is Ben and Gwen."

"Brother and sister?"

"Cousins." Ben and Gwen answered simultaneously before shooting each other an irritated look.

Their grandfather chuckled at their persistent squabbling. "And you can call me Max."

"Pleasure to meet you," Hal said, before gesturing to each of his troupe. "You know that I'm Hal, and this is my girlfriend Carol of the Star Sapphires, the big one is Kilowog, a fellow Green Lantern, the broody one is Razer of the Blue Lanterns, and  
the glowing one is his better half, Aya."

"Charming, as always," Aya stated bluntly.

"Lanterns? Star Sapphires?" Gwen wondered aloud. "What are they?"

"Intergalactic peacekeepers, kiddo," Kilowog explained with a grin.

"Most of the time." Razer murmured, his expression darkening.

Aya sensed where his thoughts were heading and took hold of his hand. Razer squeezed it in return and took a deep breath, dispelling the dark memories.

"Wait, then maybe you guys can help us!" Ben declared.

"How so?" Hal asked.

Max reached into his pocket and retrieved a small device before switching it on and handing it to Hal.

"What am I looking at here?" The Green Lantern asked as he focused on the screen.

"That's the planet we're all currently stuck on." Max clarified. "One year ago, our city was imprisoned inside a dome and transported here, but now that we're free we've spent the last day scouting for any signs of civilization."

"We haven't found anything until we came across you guys," Gwen added.

"Yeah, but if you're from space, then maybe you can tell us where we are." Ben finished.

The Tennysons went silent as they waited with baited breath for Hal's group to tell them what they wanted to hear, but dread began to fill them as the silence stretched. Hal and his companions exchanged glances with each other that made it very clear  
that their information wouldn't be good.

"I'm sorry…" Hal began. "But we can't."

Max's eyes narrowed. "Why not?"

The Green Lantern cast a glance to the setting sun in the distance before releasing a long sigh.

"You might want to get a campfire going. This is gonna take a while."

"That bad, huh?" Max asked rhetorically.

"You could say…"

"ALERT."

Everyone stopped and looked at Hal, who lifted his hand once again and stared at his ring.

"UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH."

"I'm getting it too," Carol said as she lifted her own ring as well.

Aya's head snapped in the direction indicated. "Over there, beyond those trees."

"How many?" Hal demanded as he and the other Lanterns raised their rings, ready to activate them at a moment's notice.

"Three: two organic and one mechanical."

Max hefted his rifle and aimed it at the foliage. "Get behind me, kids."

Ben and Gwen obeyed, but the children weren't about to let their beloved grandfather fight without them. Ben raised his laser pistol at the trees while his cousin prepared to fire a magical volley. Likewise, the Lanterns all held up their rings, their  
various colors all shining brightly in the twilight of the evening.

Even though they'd only just met, everyone was in accord, ready to face whatever potential threat arrived.

"Alright, whoever you are," Hal shouted. "C'mon out."

A moment of silence passed before the bushes began to rustle, and then out emerged…two teenagers and a robot?

One of the teens, a blonde-haired girl, waved sheepishly.

"Um, hi." She greeted. "My name's Ilana, and this is Lance and Octus. We heard something about campfire stories and thought we might join in. Any objections?"

(X)

 **Later that evening…**

Max would remember the next couple of hours as very…informative.

After Max and the kids finished building a fire and grabbing a few chairs for his family, Lance and Ilana, Hal and his group provided their own using energy constructs generated from their rings. Once everyone was settled, Max cut to the chase and demanded  
to know what information Hal was withholding from them.

He coughed up his hot chocolate once it reached his ears.

They weren't just on another planet, but in another universe entirely, and it was the same story for the rest of their new friends.

The only experience he had with alternate universes was the Null Void, and even then it was only when he and his fellow Plumbers imprisoned hostile aliens within it or when his grandkids had to venture there that one terrible instance. The news only got  
worse when the Lanterns revealed that they had no idea how this could've happened or how to get home.

The looks on his grandkids' faces broke his heart in two.

Thankfully, Hal's crew had good heads on their shoulders, as Aya then suggested that everyone introduce themselves fully to take their minds of their current predicament.

First off was the Lanterns themselves. Apparently, in their home universe, there were several different Lantern Corps, each represented by their own unique color and emotion that fueled the energy of their rings. But like Razer had mentioned, not all  
of them were good, which led to a pretty awkward moment when the pale-skinned humanoid's "red lantern days" were brought up.

"I had a lot of anger issues during that time," was all he said on the matter.

Then there was the teenagers and their robotic companion. Even though Lance and Ilana appeared human, they actually hailed from a planet called Galaluna which had been taken over by a usurper named Modula, forcing them to flee to (their) Earth along with  
Octus. Together, the three could transform into a giant robot called "Titan" to battle the giant monsters Modula sent after them.

"Why was he so determined destroy you?" Gwen asked them.

"I was a princess, the rightful heir to the throne," Ilana answered. "Modula wanted to remove any potential threat to his rise to power."

"He's paranoid, is what he is." Lance followed up.

"So, are you her bodyguard, or knight, or…something?" Hal asked the young man.

"I was promoted to Ilana's protector by the King himself during the takeover. I didn't want it at first, but now, looking back," He paused to smile affectionately at his princess, who reciprocated. "The only thing I feel is gratitude."

"We both do." She said.

They gently laced their fingers together, and at that moment, Carol's ring glowed a little bit brighter.

But Max took notice of Octus as the bulbous machine's singular eye dimmed slightly as he slouched in his seat. "Hey, you alright?"

"Oh." He started. "I apologize; I was remembering my friend Kim."

"Kim?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. I was…forced to leave her behind in Sherman for her safety."

"You miss her, don't you big guy?" Carol followed up, her ring's light intensifying.

"I do." The literally transparent robot admitted.

"She'll be fine, Octus," Ilana assured.

"And don't worry." Lance encouraged. "We'll be back before you know it."

Octus' eye shined once again. "Thanks."

"ALERT."

The Lanterns' rings all announced at once, startling the whole group.

"What is it now?" Hal asked his ring.

"UNKNOWN AIRCRAFT APPROACHING FROM THE EAST AT HYPERSONIC SPEEDS."

"Another one?" Ben questioned.

"It could be more people from the other cities," Ilana suggested.

"Well hurry; somebody contact 'em!" Kilowog called out.

Hal nodded as he brought his ring closer to his mouth, but just then the skies above became filled with the sound of thunder, and just as quick as it came, it was gone. Hal looked to his ring again before letting out a sigh.

"No point. They're already miles away by now," He explained. "Wherever they were going, they're in a hurry to get there."

"Unfortunate," Razer muttered.

"I'm all for recruiting new allies," Max stated. "But we shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves, not until we figure out who's behind all of this."

"Yeah!" Ben cheered as he raised the Omnitrix high. "And when we find 'em, they'll get a heaping dose of the most powerful weapon in the universe!"

"Heh heh, you mean in _your_ universe, kid." Kilowog proclaimed as he presented his ring. "But nothing compares to a power ring."

Ben stared at him for a moment before his expression morphed into a defiant glare. "What did you say?"

"Uh oh." Gwen murmured.

"This thing can transform me into one of over ten thousand different aliens." Ben challenged as he pointed at the device attached to his wrist. "What can your ring do other than glow in the dark?"

The Bolovaxian sneered. "The constructs I could make with this would tromp all over your aliens and then some."

Ben grit his teeth, but at that moment, the Omnitrix chimed, having returned to its original green color.

He turned back to Kilowog with a confident smirk. "Wanna bet?"

"You betcha, ya little poozer." Kilowog acknowledged.

Ben raised his open hand above his head, ready to slam in on the watch's dial, while Kilowog dissolved his chair construct and began channeling his ring's energy, bathing the campsite in an intense emerald glow.

"Benjamin…!"

"Kilowog…!"

The human boy and his Bolovaxian foe ceased immediately, becoming as still as statues. When they slowly turned to look at their leaders, they were met with only disapproving glares. The message was as clear as day, and so they dropped their arms to their  
sides and lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"Perhaps it would be best if we all retired for the evening." Aya proposed.

"Indeed." Max concurred. "Ben, Gwen, go brush your teeth."

"But…" The young boy protested.

"No buts. Go."

Sighing in defeat, Ben begrudgingly followed his cousin back to the RV, shooting a glare at Kilowog along the way, who growled right back.

"You too, buddy," Hal ordered.

"What? You serious?" The bulky Lantern blanched, earning him another glare. "Ugh, fine."

As his comrade lumbered way, Hal turned back to Max. Both gave each other a nod before standing up and reaching to shake each other's hands over the fire, which had begun to die down.

"Nice meeting you, Hal Jordan."

"Likewise, Mr. Tennyson."

"Just 'Max'." The elderly man chuckled.

"Alright then. Anyway, I was thinking that tomorrow we continue our trek across this rock and see if we can make it to any of the other cities."

"Sounds like a plan." Max nodded. "See you bright and early."

Hal waved goodbye as he and Carol began walking back to the Interceptor as Max returned to the Rust Bucket along with his grandkids. Lance and his party watched them all depart as Octus came up with an idea.

"Perhaps we should retrieve our own camping equipment."

"Right." Ilana piped up. "We should probably get it before it gets too cold." But then her face scrunched up in thought. "Um, where did we park the jeep, again?"

"Follow me," Octus said as he began making his way back to the tree line.

"You guys go on ahead," Lance suggested. "I'll finish putting out the fire and then catch up."

Ilana nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before chasing after Octus. Lance watched them leave until they disappeared behind the foliage, an elated smile on his lips all the while. But before he could begin dousing the campfire, he felt a hand  
on his shoulder. Turning quickly, he came face-to-face with Razer, who stared at him intensely.

After a brief silence, Razer's gaze briefly flickered in the direction Lance's friends departed before turning back to the Galalunan.

"Guard her with your life."

Lance stared open-mouthed at the Blue Lantern even as he let go of his shoulder and began walking back towards his ship. It took a few more seconds for him to collect his thoughts before he kneeled down before the fire pit.

He took a deep breath and looked back to the tree line. "I will."

Taking a handful of dirt in each hand, he threw them onto the fire and snuffed out the last of the embers.

(X)

 **A/N** :

Sorry, this took forever. My internship took a lot of time and I was working on getting Web of Wonder off the ground at the same time. Please forgive me.

I opted for a shorter chapter this time because I simply couldn't think of anything else to add other than this. What do you think?

Please leave a comment/review. Constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated.

Next Time: Cap's team arrives in Vale.


	15. Hunted Part 1

**The Quinjet…**

"Guys, I think we're here."

Peter remained in his seat as Captain America approached the cockpit, where Bruce directed his attention to a small viewscreen.

"JARVIS, this the place?" Steve asked the AI.

"Affirmative." He replied. "Scans indicate that the frequency of the message we recovered matches that of the signals being emitted by the large tower seen here."

Once said tower became highlighted on the viewscreen, Steve nodded before focusing on another part of the image, particularly the numerous aircraft of varying sizes that filled the sky, air patrols, most likely.

"Looks like air travel's out of the equation." He noted before pointing to another area on the screen. "Engage stealth systems and put us down in that forest over there."

"Already on it." Bruce concurred as he pressed a few buttons on the dash. As he guided their transport towards their landing zone, Steve turned around and marched his way into the back portion of the aircraft where Peter and Black Panther were waiting.

"Alright team, here it is." Cap began as he gripped the railing above to steady himself. "As you know, our homes were attacked today by previously unknown persons, and this is our only lead. Our mission is to infiltrate Vale and gather what intel we can on their whereabouts."

"How are we gonna do that?" Peter asked.

"JARVIS has pointed out some sort of giant radio tower near the edge of the city; we'll start there. Once inside, Panther will connect JARVIS to the mainframe and extract whatever information he can. Then we'll hightail it out of here and get back to New York."

"Understood." Panther nodded.

"But what if we're caught?" The web-slinger followed up, his nerves getting the better of him.

"Well fight our way out." The Captain declared.

"Oh, okay then." Spidey sighed. "Look, I'm sorry; I've had my fair share of secret missions, sure, but nothing like this."

Cap smiled and pat the teen on his shoulder. "It's alright, son. I've been in your shoes before. The first mission is always the scariest, but I'll stand by you the whole nine yards."

"We all will." Black Panther added, crossing his arms and nodding encouragingly to the young hero across from him.

Peter smiled beneath his mask. "Thanks, BP."

"Please, you may call me T'Challa. I only use my other moniker when on missions."

The lenses on Peter's mask widened. How could these guys be so casual about revealing their secret identities to people they barely knew?"

 _Do they really trust me that much?_

"Touching down now," Bruce called out from the front.

"Roger that." Steve then grabbed his shield from off his back and approached the ramp. "Avengers Assemble."

Peter and T'Challa exchanged a nod before getting up and moving to stand behind Steve. A few more seconds went by before the aircraft shook as a low rumble resounded throughout the interior. Once everything was stilled, Bruce turned around in his chair and gave the group a thumbs up.

"You're good to go."

"Acknowledged," Steve said as he slammed his fist on a big green button on the wall. "From here on out we stick to our hero names, people. Let's move."

"We're going on foot?" Spider-Man pressed.

"The skies above the city are crawling with air patrols. A ground incursion is our best bet to minimize our chances of being spotted. Now come on."

The three waited patiently for the ramp to lower so they could step out, and when they did, they beheld a tranquil forest illuminated by the brightness of the moon.

"Huh." Peter murmured. "Y'know, this wouldn't be too bad a place for a camping trip."

"I might take you up on that," Bruce called out from the ramp. "Let me know for sure when you get back."

"Wait, you're not coming with?"

"Nope." The scraggly man confessed with a shake of his head. "I don't do too well in cities. Besides, somebody has to pick you guys up if things get hairy."

"Eh, alright." Spider-Man shrugged. "What's the first move, Cap?"

The legendary soldier pointed toward the tallest tree he could see. "Climb up that tree and see if you can spot our objective."

"Aye-aye, sir!"

He then sprinted toward the tree and quickly climbed its trunk up to the branches that he scaled with practiced ease. Once he got as high as he could go, he performed a full 360-degree scan of the surrounding area, marveling at the blanket of green that stretched for miles. It wasn't until his gaze turned south that he spotted their destination.

A tall obelisk whose green lights shone brightly in the night like a giant beacon. It stood in the center of what appeared to be a futuristic-looking castle at the edge of a steep cliff, and beyond that he could make out a vast lake separating the structure from the rest of the city. Combine all that with a backdrop of the starry night sky, and even Spider-Man had to admit that it made for one beautiful picture.

"Wow. Hogwarts got an upgrade."

" _Spider-Man,"_ Steve said to him through his earpiece. _"See anything?"_

"Yep, it's little ways beyond the forest; can't miss it."

" _Roger that. And remember, if your spider-sense goes off at any point during this mission, let us know immediately."_

"Got it."

Back on the ground, Steve turned back to Bruce. "Stay safe, Jolly-Green."

"You too," Bruce said before he walked back up the ramp and closed it behind him.

Cap then turned to address the King beside him. "Panther, get up there and join Spider-Man. You two will stick to the trees until we reach the city proper."

But T'Challa remained idle as he turned his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. "I'm afraid that'll have to wait, Captain."

Cap followed his line of sight as saw a cloaked figure standing a few feet away from them. Leaping into action, he held up his shield as Panther crouched into a fighting stance, ready to pounce on the intruder at a moment's notice.

"Identify yourself," Cap ordered.

The cloaked figure then raised a gloved hand and pulled back his hood, revealing a young man with long brown hair and a scar over his right eye.

"My name is Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight. I come in peace."

Cap and Panther exchanged a look before Spider-Man appeared, dangling upside down from a web line attached to a branch.

"Spider-Man, I told you to warn us of any danger." Cap chided.

"And I would have," Spidey began. " _If_ my spider-sense went off, which it didn't."

Cap's eyes widened at that revelation. Panther noticed his friend's surprise and lowered his guard before calmly walking up to Anakin.

"What is your reason for being here?"

"I sensed a strong dark side presence on this side of the continent." The scar-faced man explained. "The focal point was here, so I came alone to investigate and determine what caused it."

The King of Wakanda studied the man for a moment. "He's telling the truth."

Cap turned to Spidey, who shrugged. Trusting his instincts, the legendary soldier lowered his shield and approached the newcomer, T'Challa stepping to the side to give them some room.

"I don't know what this 'dark side' is, or who the Jedi are" the captain started, ignoring Anakin's wide eyes. "But we're on the clock, so if you are telling the truth, we'll give you a chance."

Now it was Anakin's turn to raise an eyebrow. "And the catch?"

"You have to follow my orders for the time being and help us see this mission through," Steve answered. "If you can do that, you'll have earned my trust. Then we can talk shop. Deal?"

"Fair enough." Anakin conceded with a shrug. "I can sense the truth in your words."

Peter watched as the two men shook on it before the unexpected occurred.

 _RIIIIING_

"Spider-Sense! Danger!" He called out, causing everyone to freeze.

"Where?" Cap asked, holding his shield at the ready.

Peter turned towards the direction his sixth sense indicated and saw…a crow.

KAW-KAW

"Um…there."

The other three men looked to where he was pointing and sighed in equal parts relief and annoyance.

"Seriously?" Cap jeered.

"Hey, don't get mad at me." Peter defended, pointing at his cranium. "This thing sometimes has a tendency to overreact."

"Alright then, false alarm. Now let's get this show on the road." Steve commanded. "Black Panther, Spider-Man, you know what to do. Anakin, you're with me. Let's go."

The King of Wakanda joined the web-slinger in the trees while the Jedi and captain hoofed it on the ground, unaware that the crow had taken flight and was now following them.

(X)

Navigating through the forest was easy enough, but making their way across the castle grounds was a bit more difficult. Everywhere they went they could see platoons of soldiers decked out in white and silver armor guarding the perimeter, and more often than not they were accompanied by smaller groups of slender, humanoid robots with black visors for faces, and both were carrying big guns. But the most intimidating of all the security detail were these giant bipedal mechs that stood over a dozen feet tall that lumbered about, the ground trembling with each step they took.

They decided to avoid those at all costs.

But as he and his new companions gradually traversed the area, hiding in bushes and sticking to the shadows at every opportunity, Spider-Man noticed a few details about this place. On a couple of occasions when they stopped to conceal themselves lest they got spotted, he would take this opportunity to peek through the windows to get a better idea of where they were at, and what he saw only confused him even more.

Within one of the buildings he saw what appeared to be a cafeteria, complete with pop machines. A window of another building gave him a view of the largest library he'd ever seen, and a third presented a vacant classroom to him, only adding to the sinking feeling in his stomach.

 _Jokes aside, this place is looking more like a school by the minute._

He decided to file that away for later, focusing instead on keeping up with his team. Now the only thing between them and their objective was a massive open courtyard patrolled by a few pairs of guards here and there, including the two currently protecting the front entrance to the tower itself.

Steve could see all of this through his binoculars. He, as well as the rest of his comrades, were currently concealed in another cluster of bushes waiting for his signal to keep moving.

"I count two guards at the front door."

"Are there any alternative routes?" Panther asked.

"Negative." Cap sighed. "The front door's our only option."

"It's way too open out here," Spider-Man noted. "We'll be spotted for sure."

"I have an idea." Anakin chimed in. "But I need you to follow my lead."

"Are you sure?" Captain America asked him with a wary look.

"Just trust me on this. Please."

Anakin instructed them to wait for an opening in the patrols, one that would give them a clear shot to the tower, and once it appeared, they took it. Anakin stood straight up and began marching toward the tower, the other three reluctantly following, risking exposure in favor of the Jedi's judgement.

"Keep your eyes forward," Anakin whispered over his shoulder. "You'll look less suspicious."

They obeyed, focusing on their objective as it got closer and closer until the guards took notice of them and stepped forward away from their post to meet them at the bottom of the steps.

"Halt!" One guard ordered, stopping them in their tracks. "What're you huntsman doing out so late?"

 _What's a huntsman?_ Peter thought.

Despite them all being on edge, Anakin offered his best smile. "Good evening, officers. I'm sorry to bother you but we really need to get into that tower to conduct our business."

"What business?" The other guard pressed.

"Personal business that cannot wait."

The first guard loosened his grip on his rifle. "Hang on a minute kid, I'll have to check in with the General on my scroll."

As said guard retrieved a thin, square device from his belt, Steve, T'Challa and Peter all clenched their fists, silently cursing Anakin for blowing their cover. But just before the guard could contact his superior, Anakin waved his hand.

"You don't need to check in with the General."

The guard stopped immediately before returning the little gadget to his pocket. "I don't need to check in with the General."

"What?" The second guard said, bewildered. "Yes, we do."

"No, you do not." Anakin urged with another wave, and the second guard visibly relaxed in an instant.

"No, we do not."

Peter looked up to Steve for answers, but all he could offer was a shrug.

"You may go about your business." Anakin went on.

"You may go about your business." The first guard repeated.

"Move along."

"Move along." The second guard echoed, gesturing towards the tower.

"Thank you, sirs." Anakin admonished as he began walking forward, but then stopped when he remembered a small detail that could come in handy later. "Oh, and you will give us your scroll."

"I will give you my scroll." He forked over his little doohickey immediately.

"You may now return to your posts."

"We will now return to our posts."

The two guards walked away and returned to their spots on opposite sides of the stairs, paying the group that just duped them no heed as they moseyed on by. It wasn't until the heroes made it to the top and opened one of the wooden double doors that Black Panther broke the silence.

"I'm impressed." He congratulated the Jedi. "Some form of telepathy, I take it?"

"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded," Anakin explained.

"The Force?" Spider-Man asked with a tilt of his head. "What's the For-?"

 _RIIIIING_

Peter stopped and swiveled around, expecting something like the guards pointing their weapons at them and shouting "psyche," but that didn't happen. Everything looked exactly as it was mere moments ago, all nice and quiet. Well, except for that crow sitting atop a lamppost "kawing" away.

 _Wait a second…_

"Spider-Man, hurry up," Steve whispered.

"…Right." The teenager responded, his gaze lingering on the pitch-black avian before quickly, but quietly, rushing up the steps, Cap shutting the door behind him when he made it through.

(X)

Spider-Man was right to feel suspicious about that crow, because no sooner than when the door leading into the CCT closed, it leaped from its perch on the lamppost and descended to the pavement below, and in a brief flash of red and black energy, changed into its true shape. Once transformed, it reached into its pocket, brought out its scroll, and hit the redial key.

"Oz, they made it inside."

" _And I see that they are going up instead of down. Good. What of the guards?"_

"They're fine. The scar-faced one just told them to let 'em through and they obliged without question; his semblance must be Persuasion. And I'm also guessing that the one with the spider emblem can sense when someone's tryin' to sneak up on 'im. He's spotted me twice now."

" _Hmm, interesting. Very well, send her in then."_

"Gotcha." He disconnected with the Headmaster and dialed in his newest acquaintance. "Alright, kid, head on up."

" _Yes, sir, Mr. Branwen."_

(X)

 **Inside the Tower…**

Neon green lights illuminated the spacious lobby as they made their way to the back and towards one of the elevators. It opened automatically for them and they stepped inside, the small space forcing them to stand shoulder to shoulder.

" _Hello, welcome to the CCT. How may I help you?"_ Came a female voice from the speakers on the golden terminal to their right.

Everyone except Black Panther tensed up, believing themselves to have been caught, but the royal raised gently raised his hand to ease their nerves.

"Be calm. It is automated."

" _I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"_ The voice asked, drawing Panther's attention back to the terminal next to him.

"Can you please tell us where we can access information regarding Vale itself?"

" _Certainly. The hub room is the best source for all data pertaining to the four kingdoms."_

"Thank you. We would like to go there."

" _Absolutely. Could you please place your scroll on the terminal to verify your identity?"_

Without missing a beat, Anakin retrieved said device from his pocket and handed it to Panther, who presented it to the terminal. It emitted a short jingle of noises before going silent, everyone waiting with bated breath to see if it worked.

" _Perfect."_ The voice said. _"Thank you, Corporal."_

A low whir of the mechanisms filled the confines of the elevator as they felt it ascend, at which point everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Aaand unclench." Spider-Man quipped as his shoulders slouched.

"It's not over yet." Steve reminded them all.

"Indeed." Anakin concurred. "Getting back out is usually harder than getting in."

"You're right," Steve admitted as he placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "But you helped us get this far. For that, you've earned my thanks."

"But not your trust."

"Not yet, but almost."

Just when Anakin offered an appreciative smirk to him, the elevator stopped and a bell chimed from the terminal.

"We are here," Panther announced.

The doors opened and they made their way out as quickly as they could. The hub room was the same size as the lobby, with nine workstations containing six computer terminals each neatly arranged into rows of three behind a half-circle desk. Circling around the room was a long row of additional computers right beneath the windows, where large moonbeams filtered in and bathed the interior of the chamber in a soft, silvery glow.

A new light appeared suddenly, that of the holographic woman that materialized behind the desk. Her transparent hair was done up in a lovely bun, and once she noticed them approaching, she smirked in a way that conveyed an eagerness to assist as well as genuine delight at their presence.

" _Welcome to the Hub Room of the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit Center. As there are no other visitors currently present, all of the terminals are available to you."_

"Thank you very much." Panther bowed gratefully.

" _My pleasure. Have a wonderful evening."_ The projection then faded away.

"Why can't all receptionists be as nice as her?" Spider-Man asked nobody in particular. "And she's not even real."

"Panther, get to work." Captain America ordered. "The rest of us will keep watch."

Panther nodded and made his way over to the workstation directly behind the front desk and picked a terminal, the green light of the screen reflecting off his mask as he began typing away. Captain America and Spider-Man both ducked behind the workstation to Panther's left, while Anakin hid behind the one on his right, and just in time too, as they barely avoided the spotlight of one of the aircraft that flew past the window.

"How long is this going to take?" Spidey whispered.

"I cannot answer that, just yet," Panther replied, never taking his eyes off the screen as he retrieved a small USB from his pocket. "But JARVIS can certainly speed things along."

But when he moved to insert it into the port next to the keyboard…

 _RIIIIIIIIIING_

"Ow, wait!" Peter said as he clutched his throbbing noggin, causing everyone to freeze again. Even Panther withdrew the drive just as it was about to be plugged in and now clutched the small device tightly in his palm.

"What is it, Spider-Man?" Steve pressed.

"My spider-sense is going bonkers."

"From what?"

The "ding" of the elevator provided his answer for him.

"That."

Everyone slowly stood up and turned to face the elevator just as the doors opened, each of them expecting either the human soldiers or those robotic guards they saw earlier to come marching out with their guns trained on them demanding that they put their hands in the air.

Certainly not a cute little girl with curly orange hair topped with a pink bow, who strolled into the room with a bright smile on her freckled face.

"Huh?" Spider-Man spoke for the group.

The girl stopped a few feet away from the front desk and greeted them all with a friendly wave.

"Sal-u-tations!"

(X)

 **A/N** :

Surprise!

Wow, two chapters in a week. Yes, they will get longer again eventually, but not until later as more and more characters start to meet up.

Please leave a comment/review. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next time: Captain America's team now has to get _out_ of Vale, but it's easier said than done.


	16. Hunted Part 2

Everyone remained frozen, their brains locking up in response to the rather polite yet odd greeting of the girl who remained stationary in front of the desk, hands still behind her back as her gaze shifted down the line to each of them while she awaited their response.

It was after the third pass that Peter broke the ice, waving awkwardly when her shining green eyes landed on him once more.

"Um, hello to you too, Miss…um?"

"My name is Penny. Thank you for asking." She said with a quick bow.

Spider-Man and Captain America turned toward each other, the latter raising an eyebrow to communicate silently with his accomplice.

 _Should we even bother?_

Spidey just shrugged. _I think we can handle it._

Cap conceded and turned back to her. "Well Penny, why are you here?"

"General Ironwood tasked me with bringing you in for questioning as non-violently as possible as a gesture of goodwill."

They were all slightly taken aback by that admission and how Penny was so willing and open to it.

"Seriously?" Anakin asked.

"Yes." Penny nodded. "The last thing we want is for this to escalate and cause a panic, so if you would please give yourselves up and come with me, we would be most grateful."

Everyone besides Steve looked to the veteran as he stared Penny down with his hardened gaze, which she met with her persistently beaming face, completely unintimidated. He then looked over both of his shoulders to receive an almost unnoticeable nod from each of his teammates that conveyed their resolve to him without the use of words.

 _We'll follow your lead._

And so he turned back to Penny, who was now eyeing him hopefully and made his choice.

"Sorry, but we cannot afford to abandon our mission on your word alone. I'm sure your General would understand."

For this first time since her arrival, Penny's expression changed, her smile flipping upside down while her posture slouched.

"Are you certain?"

Cap nodded in reply, followed by Penny lowering her gaze to the floor and letting her limbs fall limply to her sides.

But then her fists clenched and she looked back up at them, her brow furrowed and her gaze hard.

"Very well, then."

 _RIIIING_

"Guys, get ready," Peter warned.

"Combat ready," Penny added.

They then heard a small 'click' and then a small, metal object came out of the pack on her back. Then the object unfolded and split apart into twelve swords that hovered in an arc formation above her head, their sharp tips pointed at Steve's team.

Cap quickly put his fingers to his ear. "Jolly Green, we've been compromised and need an exfil now!"

He didn't get a chance to hear Bruce's response as Penny threw her open palms out and launched her swords at his team. Cap raised his shield and successfully deflected four of them, while the other three rolled and leaped out of the way of all the rest. However, while Panther was midway through a cartwheel, Penny singled him out and quickly retracted three of her swords, folded them in half and arranged them in a triangle formation. A bolt of green energy then shot out from the cluster of blades and hit Panther square in his chest, the impact causing him to drop the USB drive accidentally.

"JARVIS!" He called out.

The device hit the ground as its previous holder was knocked back. Penny then recalled the rest of her weapons and began firing more lasers at them. Cap, Panther, and Spidey all ducked behind separate workstations while Anakin grabbed a metal baton from his belt and summoned a blade of blue energy from it to deflect the girl's projectiles.

As Steve gave the order for the group to hold their ground until Banner arrived, Peter peeked out from behind his cover and saw the USB lying on the ground before noticing the port on the keyboard above him.

 _She did say all of the terminals were available._

Firing a web line, he snagged the device off the floor and plugged it into the nearest computer, watching as the small light on the drive blinked a few times.

ZAPZAPZAP

Peter all but collapsed onto the floor to avoid getting his head blown off by the volley of laser blasts the deceptively cute blade dancer sent his way. He then felt something small bounce off his nose and clatter to the floor next to his head; the drive, now burned and charred.

 _I hope that worked._

"Spider-Man!" He heard Steve call out to him and so turned to see the captain crouched down with his knees bent as more laser bolts zoomed by overhead. "Our ride's going to be late, so get ready!"

"For what?"

"Plan B!"

The legendary soldier then threw his shield at the window hard enough to crack the glass in a spider-web formation. Peter groaned upon realizing what Cap had in mind, but nevertheless followed along when his three companions broke away from their engagement with Penny and jumped/crashed through the window.

The webslinger reacted the fastest, grabbing ahold of Cap with one arm and firing another web strand at the tower with the other, the latter being used as a zip line to control their decent. Panther opted for embedding his claws into the side of the tower, the continuous sound of metal cutting through metal compelling Peter to grind his teeth the whole way down. And as for Anakin, he decided to just freefall, his long brown hair billowing in the rushing wind and his face the picture of calm despite the situation.

It only took a few seconds before they hit the ground, the tension in Peter's web line smoothing his and Cap's landing. Panther dived off the tower at the last second and rolled to distribute his energy and soften the impact, while Anakin somehow managed to will himself to slow down, making his landing strategy the most graceful of the bunch.

"Dude, can you fly?" Spider-Man asked.

"No," Anakin responded with a smirk. "I can just jump really well."

"I thought that was called 'falling with style.'"

"Hold it right there!"

So caught up were they in the moment that they failed to notice the battalion of guards, accompanied by an equal number of robotic soldiers, waiting for them at the bottom of the steps, all pointing their guns at them.

"Put your hands in the air!" Another guard shouted at them.

"And wave 'em like we just don't care?" Peter joked.

"Shut up!" The same guard demanded as he pointed his rifle directly at the teenager, who obeyed.

The rest of his friends followed suit, albeit begrudgingly, and it was at that point that a sharp dress man emerged from the crowed of armed men. His graying black hair was neatly combed and he had a strange piece of metal attached to his forehead directly above his right eye, but it was his posture and the fact that the soldiers gave him a wide berth that made it obvious who he was.

"General Ironwood, I presume?" Steve asked.

"Yes, and you all are under arrest." The General declared.

"On what charges?" Anakin challenged.

"Trespassing and vandalism."

"Ok look, it's not as bad as you think," Spider-Man said, doing his best to stall for time until the Quinjet arrived. "Panther here just needed a nice and quiet place to update his Faceblock status."

"Sadly my skill with emojis needs some work." Panther explained, picking up on what the webslinger was up to.

"Enough." Ironwood rumbled, losing his patience. "Whatever your motivations, you still have to answer for what you've done. Please come quietly; as you were told we do not want this to escalate, but we will resort to force if need be."

A beat of silence followed, and then Captain America took a single step forward, the General's attention now focused solely on him. The two military locked their gazes with each other, both sides waiting for the other to make a move.

"I'm sorry, but the answer is still no." Steve finally said.

"…Have it your way, then." Ironwood sighed. "Knights!"

He then stepped backward as his robots began marching forward, surrounding Cap's team in a circle. The heroes lowered their hands and took up fighting stances, ready to bust their way out of this corner they'd been backed into.

"Take them," Ironwood commanded.

The robots aimed down the sights of their rifles, their fingers moving to their triggers…and then they stopped, freezing in place before their upper bodies went completely limp, their legs the only things holding them all upright.

Everyone was confused, for sure, but the General was infuriated, but as he began spouting questions to his other men on what just happened, the Knights stood upright once again but kept their rifles lowered.

Then the blank visors on the front of their helmets lit up with a green light, as did other parts of their mechanical bodies. Ironwood and his men were visibly startled and confused by this change, but Spider-Man was grinning hopefully beneath his mask.

"JARVIS?"

"Yes." The Knights all answered with a nod. "It is I."

"Alright, it worked!"

"Indeed it did."

"What worked?" Ironwood thundered. "What have you done to my Knights?"

The sound of jet turbines in the distance reached their ears at that moment, and so they all turned to see an aircraft off in the distance getting closer and closer to the tower.

"Get to the Quinjet." JARVIS pressed. "I will provide cover for you. Hurry."

"Right, let's move," Cap ordered.

As the Captain and his squad broke away in the direction of the approaching Quinjet, the Knights turned and aimed their rifles down the steps and opened fire on Ironwood and his men, JARVIS making sure they didn't hit any vital areas. Ironwood ordered his soldiers to return fire, and when he noticed the intruders attempting to flee, drew a large revolver from his coat pocket and fired a few shots in their direction. Nobody slowed their stride as Cap raise his shield so the bullets would bounce off it seamlessly, while Spider-Man fired a pinpoint accurate web ball to clog the barrel of Ironwood's gun.

The group kept running and running, the sounds of gunfire growing smaller as they pressed on until the Quinjet maneuvered itself into their path, lowering the ramp without bothering to land. One by one the four heroes leaped onto it and climbed inside, and then Banner immediately redirected it skyward.

"Impeccable timing, Doctor Banner." Panther lauded.

"Thanks." The scraggly man replied. "I would've been here sooner but some soldiers found where I was parked and held me up. Stark made a good call in upgrading the shields."

 _RIIIIING_

Heeding his spider-sense's warning, Spider-Man rushed forward to the cockpit and gazed out the window, which was now angled toward the tower as the aircraft ascended.

And that's when he saw Penny standing at the edge of the hub room's broken window.

"Uh, guys? I think we forgot something."

He then watched as Penny rearranged her swords in a circular formation in front of her that began to spin faster and faster as green energy built-up in its center.

 _RIIIIIIING_

"Bruce, punch it!"

Bruce spun the Quinjet around and fired up the engines, the aircraft rocketing away from the tower and lightning speed. Within a few seconds, the city proper became visible down below through the window, giving them hope that they might actually make a clean(ish) getaway.

BOOM

A sudden explosion tore through the Quinjet's hull and created a gaping hole in the back, breaking the airtight seal and venting all the compressed air through it. Everyone grabbed onto something as their aircraft began to list, Spider-Man having the least amount of trouble thanks to his powers.

"Cap? What do we do?"

Steve's brow furrowed in concentration for a brief moment, but that was all the soldier needed to analyze their desperate situation and determine the best course of action lickety-split.

"Abandon ship!" He shouted over the loud rush of the decompressing chamber. "Everyone out!"

"What about the Quinjet?" Peter asked.

"She's going down!" Bruce yelled as he struggled with the controls. "I'll try to land her someplace safe!"

"We'll regroup at the crash site and then find another way out of Vale!" Cap added. "Now move!"

Panther nodded and bolted out through the tear in the wounded craft, and Anakin followed suit shortly after, but as Steve braced himself to go next, he heard his youngest friend call out to him.

"Cap?"

Steve turned back to him, and even though the young hero wore a mask, he could make out signs of worry all over his body language. Despite possessing incredible power, Peter was still a teenager in the middle of an unfamiliar and dangerous situation far removed from what he was used to, and as such needed all the support he could get.

"It's alright, son!" Steve answered with a smile, the kind he offered his comrades back in the war when he saw them struggling like Peter now was. "I'll see you on the other side!"

He waited until Spider-Man nodded at him before turning and leaping out of the failing Quinjet.

"What're you waiting for?" Bruce asked the teen. "Get going!"

"You sure?" Peter retorted.

"I'll be fine; I'm tougher than I look. Go!"

Spider-Man gave the pilot a quick pat on his shoulder, took a deep breath, and then ran for the opening.

(X)

 **Beacon Tower…**

BANG

The last of his former Knights exploded into pieces, joining the rest of its brothers in the pile of scrap strewn about the General and his men.

"All clear." He grunted.

As he lowered his weapon, he heard the doors to the CCT open behind him and turned to see Ozpin, mug in hand, and Penny walking down the steps. The headmaster observed the severed mechanical body parts scattered across the vicinity with his usual stoic expression before taking a quick sip from his coffee mug.

Penny, however, became filled with trepidation as she contemplated the mechanical carnage before her, as evidenced by her bright demeanor suddenly collapsing at the sight of the destroyed mechs.

This prompted Ironwood to try and cheer her up.

"Miss Polendina," He began to gain the android's attention. "You performed admirably, and that was an excellent shot you pulled off. I could see them crash from here."

And just like that, she was all smiles once again.

"Thank you, sir." She said with a salute.

Ozpin smiled warmly at the infectiously happy girl but dropped it when his ears picked up a light flapping of wings, prompting him to turn towards the source and watch as Qrow, in his avian form, landed on a nearby bench.

"Qrow, follow and observe them, but make sure they don't notice you this time."

Qrow squawked before taking flight once more and heading off towards the city, and when he disappeared from view, Ozpin turned to his Atlesian ally next.

"James, in light of these intruders' capabilities," he gestured to the destroyed robots at their feet, "I believe it's time we, as the children say, 'turn things up a notch.'"

James nodded before putting two fingers to his ear.

"Attention, all Atlesian forces. We are deploying a team of Beacon's students to intercept the intruders. Keep your distance from the crashed transport until I arrive with reinforcements, and tell all the citizens to remain indoors until this situation is resolved. General Ironwood out."

He then lowered his hand as the headmaster and android moved to stand next to him. "Who are you sending in first?"

Ozpin responded with no words, just an amused grin as he took another sip of his coffee and pointed skyward. James' eyes followed where he indicated and saw what looked like four rockets taking off from the school grounds before they angled themselves toward downtown Vale.

"Of course it'd be them." The cyborg murmured with a shake of his head.

"Go Team RWBY!" Penny cheered.

(X)

Captain America thrust his shield to the left, carving a long gash into the side of the building as he used it to slow his descent. He then leaped off the wall and hit the ground hard, rolling to disperse the force of the impact before he, at last, came to a stop in the middle of an alleyway. Quickly standing back up, he turned and watched the damaged Quinjet as it disappeared behind a group of buildings some distance away, Spider-Man jumping out seconds before. The captain then heard a low "boom" and felt the ground tremble slightly, and so switched on his communicator again.

"Jolly Green? Bruce, are you okay?"

" _Yeah…*cough, cough*…I'm okay. A little banged up but still in one piece."_

"That's good," Cap sighed. "Stay where you are; I'm coming to you."

" _Make it snappy…*cough*…The radar still works and it's showing multiple contacts closing in on me, and they're in a hurry."_

"Affirmative, and Bruce? If I can't get to you in time, you know what to do."

" _It's already started. Just hurry."_

"Copy that, and don't hurt them too badly. Over and out."

BOOM

The legendary soldier had barely taken a step forward when something impacted the ground behind him. Turning swiftly, he saw what appeared to be some type of missile embedded in the ground at the other end of the alley, but as the dust settled, a compartment opened on the front, compelling Cap to raise his shield in defense.

Out of the compartment stepped a small, petite figure dressed in a black blouse with matching skirt and leggings, and a red hooded cloak draped down her back. She then pulled her hood back to reveal her black hair and pale complexion, and her gaze narrowed as it focused on him.

Cap was honestly stunned by her appearance but kept it hidden from her. If he had to haphazard a guess, this girl was still in her mid-teens, not even out of high school. Why would they send a child to apprehend him?

He got his answer when the girl reached behind herself and pulled out a red metallic device, which then unfolded into a large, mechanical scythe twice as big as she was. She twirled it around a few times with practiced ease before slamming its curved blade into the ground in front of her and tightening her grip on the handle.

"Why are you here?" She shouted at him. "Who sent you?"

"I can't tell you, kid; it's classified," Steve answered.

"Well then unclassify it!"

"Not gonna happen."

"Fine!"

clickBANG

A gunshot rang out from behind her that suddenly propelled her forward at high speed, but Cap's enhanced reflexes enabled him to react just as fast. He raised his shield to block her downward swing, the shield absorbing the energy behind her attack and rebounding it back at her, causing her to stumble back slightly. But she used that to her advantage as she spun on her heel and attempted to side-swipe him with her weapon, but not only did he block that as well, he actually hooked the blade onto his shield and grabbed the handle with his free hand to hold it in place.

The girl pulled and tugged to no avail, giving Cap the chance to throw his shield and nail her right in her torso. The impact forced her to let go of her weapon as she was knocked back once again, at which point he threw her weapon away before catching his shield on the return.

The girl coughed as she got back to her feet and eyed his weapon curiously as he lifted it to protect himself once more.

"How does that thing work?" She asked bemusedly.

"Look, kid," Cap interjected, ignoring her question. "I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you leave me no choice. Now stand aside."

"I don't feel like standing," She shot back. "I feel like RUNNING!"

She then shot forward in a red blur and slammed into him like a truck, crashing into his shield and launching him backward into the wall at the far end of the alley. When he recovered, he saw that she had taken hold of her weapon once again.

They stared each other down for a brief moment before the girl ran forward right as the soldier threw his shield.

(X)

Anakin shielded his eyes from the wave of dust kicked up by the object that crashed into the pavement little ways down the empty street while his cloak billowed in the shockwave of wind. When he looked back, he saw the side facing him open up and out stepped a woman of small stature dressed in all white, with matching hair to boot.

"Ugh," she muttered as she brushed herself off. "Why do I let Ruby talk me into things like this?"

Then she noticed Anakin, and she scowled before drawing an exotic-looking sword from her hip and pointing it at him.

"You there, halt!" She ordered.

"I haven't moved an inch since you landed," The Jedi stated bluntly, a hint of mirth in his eyes.

"Good, then stay put and let me take you in!"

Anakin waved his hand. "You don't want to take me in."

"Yes, I do."

Anakin blinked and tried again. "No, you don't."

"Yes, I do," She repeated. "What are you trying to pull?"

"…Well then, this complicates things" Anakin conceded as he lowered his arm. "Okay look, please hear me-"

A sudden tremor in the Force alerted him to a projectile heading towards him from behind, so he quickly drew his lightsaber, spun around and swung it, splitting a large chunk of ice in two just before it made contact with his head. He noticed of the strange glowing white symbol that the projectile was launched from, but right as it faded from existence, he turned back just in time to raise his saber and block the girl's swing, resulting in their blades locking.

"Must we do this?" he grunted. "There are alternatives to fighting, you know."

"Are you going to surrender, then?" She asked.

"No."

"Then what other alternative is there?"

"Hmm…good point."

He then opened his palm and unleashed Force blast to push her away. She skid for several feet until another glowing symbol manifested behind her and stopped her progress.

While Anakin shed his cloak, the girl grit her teeth and waved her hand in a strange pattern that seemed to summon more emblems (ones that glowed black) in sequence ahead of her. She then pushed herself off the white one behind her, and with each black emblem she passed through on her way to Anakin, her velocity increased until she moved almost as fast as a speeder bike.

Focusing his speed, Anakin dodged to the left and then hit her with another Force-push as she passed, but she rolled with it, performing a barrel roll and skidding to a halt some distance away. She then performed a graceful, but fierce dance that created a ring of glowing emblems around herself and her opponent. Out of one came another chunk of ice that was promptly destroyed by Anakin's swordsmanship.

"This again?" He asked his foe rhetorically.

The white-haired teenager scoffed before flicking her wrist this way and that, launching more frozen projectiles at him from all sides.

Anakin's response to her barrage was to close his eyes and tune out the world around him, opening himself up to the living Force and surrendering himself to its leading. Obeying its commands, he planted his feet and swung his saber in whichever manner it indicated, and within a few short seconds, a pile of melting ice lay at his feet and only then did his eyes open again.

"Shall we move on?"

"Yes," she said through clenched teeth.

She then began twirling her sword in a dazzling display of control, sparkling white energy swirling all around her as she strut toward her enemy. Anakin moved to meet her, and while his form lacked spectacle, his movements emphasized his strength and skill with his own weapon as his sapphire blade met her gleaming metal one with a resounding "CLANG."

(X)

T'Challa panted as he sprinted across the rooftops, effortlessly leaping over the gaps in between the buildings as he clawed his way toward the plume of smoke rising in the distance. It would only be a matter of time before General Ironwood and his men swarmed this area, at which point escaping from this city would be near-impossible, but not unachievable.

Nothing is when you're an Avenger.

He was halfway across another rooftop when a bladed object suddenly flew past his face, forcing him to stop. He looked and saw the blade embedded in the door leading downstairs, and attached to it was a long black ribbon. A jerk on the ribbon pulled it taught and dislodged the blade from the door, and Panther followed it as it returned to the hand of its owner: a teenaged girl with long black hair, pale skin, and actual, legitimate cat ears atop her head. He watched as her blade changed into something resembling a firearm while she drew another object from behind her back that unfolded into a large black sword.

"Who are you?" She demanded of him.

Straightening his posture and folding his arms behind his back, the King of Wakanda responded calmly and professionally, as one would expect from a royal.

"I am called the Black Panther, young one," he answered, hoping that acting in a formal manner would throw her off.

"Are you with the White Fang?" She spoke like she expected him to know what that was.

"I am not familiar with this 'White Fang' you speak of, but I assure you I am not in league with them."

"Even if that were true, you're still coming with me."

"I'm afraid that is out of the question."

Her amber-colored eyes narrowed, as did his own. Behind his back, his hands blazed with the purple energy of his vibranium claws, eager to tear into something. The cat-girl tightened her grip on both her weapons and took and single step back, placing her right foot behind her left. A light breeze passed over the rooftop, causing her ebony locks to wave slightly in the current.

The girl then lifted her firearm and released several shots at him, but was shocked to see every single bullet bounce lightly off his suit and fall to the ground at his feet, almost as if all their kinetic energy had been dissipated upon contact.

"My turn," the royal declared.

He threw several energy daggers at her in rapid succession, and surprisingly enough, her gun shifted into a second, thinner blade, which she used in conjunction with its larger sibling to deflect all of his projectiles that burst into fizzling sparks as she cut them apart. When the last sparkle faded out, she twirled both her blades in her hands before bending her knees and assuming a fighting stance, one blade held out in front of her, the other drawn back.

T'Challa assumed a stance of his own, his fists closing as he crossed his arms in front of his head.

"That is an impressive set of claws you wield," He commended as he unsheathed his own. "Let us see whose is sharper."

Both feline fighters charged at one another, and what followed gave new meaning to the word "catfight."

(X)

Spider-Man crept along the brick wall of the alleyway as quietly as his namesake, his eyes peeled for any signs of danger. When he was close to the end, the sudden sound of footfalls caused him to drop to the ground and duck behind a dumpster, his black suit blending in perfectly with the shadows.

Peeking around the corner, he watched as a squad of soldiers (oblivious to his presence) marched on by before making their way around a large fountain in the middle of the square and heading off in the direction of the crashed Quinjet.

 _I've got to get to Bruce before they do._

He raised his hand to fire a web line at one of the lampposts surrounding the fountain, but then his spider-sense blared once again. Reacting as quickly as he could, he spun around to confront whatever tried to sneak up on him, be it another soldier, robot or even that annoying crow.

Instead, he came face to face with a yellow t-shirt that concealed the most spectacular bosom he had ever seen.

"…Um?"

"Up here."

Pulling himself out of his own stupor for a brief period, he lifted his gaze to meet hers, his lense-concealed eyes locking on her lavender ones. A toothy grin then spread across her face she lifted her gloved hand and waved down at him.

"Helloooo~." She greeted in a sing-song voice.

POW

Taking advantage of him being distracted by her looks, she quickly extended her other hand and hit him square in the stomach, knocking him out into the open. He flew back several feet before doing a handspring and landing on the edge of the fountain. As he coughed and sputtered he watched as she swaggered into the clearing while her golden bracelets unfolded into familiar-looking gauntlets.

CHIK-CHOK

 _Oh, not this again._

She then threw a punch, releasing a bright orange projectile from her weapon with a "bang". Peter managed to dodge it by performing a backflip and landing on the highest point of the fountain's spout but was forced to jump out of the way of another attack that turned the top of the fountain into gravel. From there he used his webbing and reflexes to swing, jump and flip between the lampposts, trees, and benches surrounding the fountain to avoid getting hit.

"Missed me," he taunted as he ducked under another explosive blast, and then another. "Oooh, so close!"

"Stay still!" The girl shouted before increasing the speed of her punches.

Left, right, left, right, faster and faster, her projectiles just kept on coming, just like Spider-Man had hoped. See, he had learned from his encounter with Roman and his goons, and if this girl's gauntlets were designed similarly to Mercury's gun-boots…

CLICK

Eventually, they would run out of ammo.

 _Yes!_

Realizing her predicament, she cocked her gauntlets and ejected the spent shells, but when she retrieved two more sets of a dozen shells each from her back pocket, Peter snagged them with his webbing and tossed them away. He then followed that up with firing two pinpoint accurate web bullets at her gauntlets and jamming the reload mechanism, rendering her weapon useless for the time being.

As his opponent struggled to fix her weapons, Spider-Man hopped down onto the edge of the fountain for a closer look but made sure to keep his distance.

"How do you use those things without blowing your hands off?"

The blonde managed to pry a small piece of webbing from her wrist but then struggled to shake it off her fingers to no avail. "Does this stuff come out of you?"

"Hey, I asked you a question first, Blondie."

"Well here's my answer!"

"Oh snap!"

He cartwheeled out of the way just in time before she slammed her fist down on the bench, breaking it in two. Retracting her arm, she lifted it in front of her face and lightly blew on her knuckles.

"There's more than one way I could pound your face in, Spider-Boy."

"Um, correction," He lifted one finger. "It's actually Spider- _Man_ , thank you very-"

KAW

Both Peter and Blondie shifted their focus to the fountain and saw, you guessed it, that same red-eyed, black-feathered fowl from before.

The webslinger sighed and tried to shoot the pest away. "Get lost, little guy. Goldilocks and I are kind of in the middle of something."

While Spider-Man was distracted by the bird, however, Blondie decided that she should take full advantage of it while she had the chance. Grinning wickedly, she launched herself forward, fist drawn back and ready to strike.

But for whatever reason, Peter's spider-sense _didn't_ go off, which meant he was left completely open when she threw her punch. He never saw her attack coming and was oblivious to her close proximity until her fist made contact with his…

CRUNCH

Private parts.

And after that, all he could hear was Ave Maria.

(X)

 **Crash Site…**

Ironwood stood outside the crashed airship with a whole platoon of his troopers at his back as well as another team of Beacon's student hiding behind cover and waiting for his signal. After his encounter with the intruders, he decided to stick to utilizing soldiers of flesh and blood lest the earlier incident with the Knights repeat itself.

Better to be safe than sorry.

He turned to the squad leader and gave a small nod. The soldier reciprocated before lifting two fingers and pointing them at the craft, his squadmates obeying his silent command and lining up single file on either side of their General. Once they were in place, they lifted their guns and aimed at the grounded aircraft.

"Attention pilot," James called out. "We know that you are still in there. Come out with your hands up and surrender! This is your only warning!"

At first, the only response he received was silence, but then a ramp lowered from beneath the craft with a loud "hiss". Aiming down their sights, the soldiers watched as a scrawny-looking man stumbled down the slope before stopping several feet away from the General and his men.

"Well, here I am." He greeted.

Before Ironwood could order his men to cuff him, the pilot bent over and screwed his eyes shut as he clutched his sides in obvious pain. The General looked on as the man spasmed uncontrollably, clearly the result of some injury he sustained from the crash and decided to do the honorable thing.

"If you agree to come with us, we can provide you with medical care."

"Don't need it," the man grunted, and when he reopened his eyes, they were now glowing green, setting off alarms in James' head. "But you will."

"Meaning what?"

"You're about to find out."

It was a rhetorical question when James asked what the meaning behind the pilot's words was, as his instincts and training made it abundantly clear that he was to expect a fight, hence why he reached underneath his coat to try and draw his revolver. But before he could even remove it from its holster, he stopped, overtaken by his own shock at what was occurring before him.

The pilot had begun to _change_.

His muscles expanded to the point of tearing most of his clothes as he grew taller and taller, and like his eyes, his skin tone had also changed to a green hue, and his hair an even darker shade of it.

 _I've never seen a semblance like this._

When the transformation was complete, standing before the General was a nine foot tall, green-skinned behemoth of a man dressed in nothing but torn pants. He grinned darkly at the much smaller, and currently apprehensive, military personnel in front of him before letting out an amused chuckle.

"Now," he spoke, his voice deep and rumbling. "Who do I smash first?"

Ironwood and his men remained frozen, still unsure of how to tackle this newest obstacle. But, luckily for them, someone else decided to step up to the plate.

"Did somebody say 'SMASH'?"

Ironwood grinned at the unmistakable voice while the emerald giant looked up in confusion right as his face met the business end of a hammer wielded by a certain pink-clad huntress.

Nora Valkyrie didn't waste any time and pulled the trigger on her signature weapon, causing it to explode in the giant's face as she back flipped away and landing in front of James. However, while the small explosion did knock the creature away, he seemed more annoyed that hurt by it, but at least he was stalled for a second.

"I told you to wait for my signal." James chided the bubbly bomber.

Nora looked at him from over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

"And THAT didn't count?" She asked, pointing to the giant, who rubbed his aching face and snarled.

"Fair enough."

Just then, three more colorful teenagers entered his vision, their weapons at the ready: the remaining members of Team JNPR. Jaune ran past the general, while Pyrrha and Lie Ren flipped over the Atlesian soldiers to join Nora in staring down the beast.

"General, what is that thing?" Jaune asked, never taking his eyes off the giant.

"One of the intruders," James clarified.

"He's pretty big," Pyrrha observed.

"We can take him," Nora proclaimed, tightening her grip on Magnhild.

"We have the advantage in numbers," Ren noted. "Move quickly and strike fast; keep him off balance."

"Sounds like a plan," Jaune stated before thrusting his sword forward. "Let's get him!"

Ren, being the fastest of his team, ran ahead of them. The giant focused on him and attempted to throw a punch, but the ninja leaped up and over him entirely, spraying bullets in his face as he went, and while they did no damage, it was an effective enough distraction that the rest of his team used to close in.

Nora leaped into the fray again, but the giant saw her coming and swatted her away before slamming his massive fist down onto the pavement between Jaune and Pyrrha, forcing them to leap away. But Pyrrha was quick to react and fired a bullet into each of the creature's eyes, which gave Jaune a chance to charge and slash his sword across its wrist. The green goliath screamed and yanked its fist out of the ground, but in that brief instance, Team JNPR had regrouped and, with the exception of Jaune, began unloading their ammunition into him, causing him to stumble back against the wreckage of his ship.

Nora's grenades combined with Ren and Pyrrha's bullets seemed to be having an effect, but then the creature roared and clapped his hands together as hard as he could.

BOOM

The shockwave blew JNPR off their feet and even knocked Ironwood and his men back as well. As they slowly stood up, they saw the giant glaring down at all of them as his eyes glowed a bright green. He then lifted his injured wrist for them all to see and were shocked when it healed almost instantly.

"You kids are making me angry," He snarled. "Big mistake."

The hulking man then let out a loud, bestial roar before charging the four huntsman, who ran forward to meet him. As they continued to clash, Ironwood had decided that it would be best to call in some backup.

"General Ironwood calling all Atlesian forces. We need reinforcements at the park square ASAP!"

His earpiece picked up the sound of gunfire combined with his men shouting orders on the other end of the line, while his ears heard gunfire off in the distance and in several different directions.

" _This is Blue Leader. I'm sorry General, but we're cut off!"_

"What? How?"

" _It's the Knights and Paladins, sir! Reports are coming in from all over the city. Something has taken control of them and turned them against us. But they're not shooting to kill, only wound. We can't get to you."_

Ironwood grit his teeth; what happened at the tower was now being done to his entire mechanized forces. These intruders were more capable than he realized, and now he had a difficult choice to make.

 _Oh well, it comes with the rank._

"Blue Leader, tell our technicians to isolate the Knights and Paladins from the network and sever their connection to the rest of the grid. Without a stable link, their hardware will shut itself down automatically."

" _But sir, that'll cut our forces by almost-"_

"I know; better this than let them be used by the enemy. Just do it!"

" _Yes, sir. Blue Leader out!"_

With that taken care of, James dialed in Beacon Academy next. "Ozpin, my forces are compromised and Teams RWBY and JNPR are busy. I need more of your students!"

" _Not a problem, James. I'll be sending Teams CFVY and SSSN to assist. Just point them in the right direction and they'll take care of the rest."_

"Thank you," James exhaled, and then he watched as Pyrrha used her shield, now reinforced by her Polarity semblance, to withstand a punch from the giant and push back against him.

And so the General drew his revolver at last and then turned back to the platoon leader. "Let's get in there!"

(X)

Cap stumbled backward as he fought to keep his guard up against the flurry of strikes the little girl was throwing at him. His arms were already throbbing from the strain of guarding against her attacks, not to mention that his body was now littered with several cuts, some deeper than others, and his costume was getting torn apart because of it.

 _This girl must be superhuman. She's barely winded while I'm struggling just to keep from losing my balance._

Panting for breath, he lifted his shield to deflect another round from her "sniper-scythe" as he had taken to calling it. But unlike the other bullets he deviated, this one exploded upon contact with the unique bulwark, sending him sailing out into a more open area. Slowly pushing himself back up, he suddenly heard the sound of scraping metal from behind him. Turning, he saw Black Panther digging his claws into the pavement to halt his own rearward slide.

Steve took notice that his friend's outfit was even more torn than his own was, and he could make out a few bloody splotches here and there also. "Panther, are you okay?"

"I am fine," the King answered, slightly out of breath. He moved to stand back-to-back with the soldier without taking his eyes off of a cat-girl standing some distance away. "Have you seen the others?"

The captain then noticed something at the edge of his vision and turned towards it. "Well, there's one."

Anakin landed right next to both of them and then proceeded to brush some chunks of ice off of his shoulder, but otherwise, he looked no worse for wear. "Gentlemen."

"So who'd you have to deal with?"

"Her."

The three of them watched as a girl with white hair and matching clothes leaped off a rooftop but landed gracefully on the ground thanks to some sort of glowing emblem beneath her feet.

"Now where's-"

"AAGH!"

The three warriors turned once again to see Spider-Man come tumbling across the pavement until he stopped just a few feet away from them. Not missing a beat, Cap ran over and gently shook the young hero whose costume was burned in a few places, not to mention that one of his lenses was cracked.

"Spider-Man, are you alright?"

The webslinger's head turned this way and that, clearly in a daze but when he finally noticed Steve, he reached out and grabbed the living legend's shoulder.

"Cap..." He moaned.

"You're okay son. I've got you."

"She…she keeps punching me in the junk. Why? Why does she keep punching me in the junk?!"

Looking from where Spider-Man was launched, he saw a statuesque blonde girl with flaming golden hair and red eyes strut into the clearing with a smug grin on her face. When she cracked her knuckles, Captain America grimaced, pitying Peter's plight before helping the sore teenager to his feet.

"Orders Captain?" Anakin asked, keeping his senses focused on each of the girls surrounding them.

"I'm weighing our options."

And they weren't looking good. Their primary means of escape had crashed, they were cut off from their biggest gun and any other potential reinforcements, and their fatigue was now just starting to show. If their enemy was smart, they would know that now would be the perfect time to strike and take them down.

WHIRR

 _Speak of the devil._

Cap's team looked on as two aircraft appeared above them, and from their open portsides descended two teams of four, which touched down on opposite sides of the clearing. One team consisted of a stylish girl wearing sunglasses carrying a purse, a hulking swordsman, a dark-skinned man with long wrist blades attached to his arms, and (from Spider-Man's point of view) a cute bunny girl. The second team featured a staff-wielding teenager with an impressive six-pack a tail, a blue-haired dude with goggles, another large swordsman, and a guy who looked like an emo pirate.

Now surrounded on all sides, the heroes gathered whatever strength they could in preparation for the inevitable.

"Okay guys," Spidey whispered. "On a scale of one to 'uh oh', how much trouble are we in?"

"I have a plan," Black Panther revealed. "But I need them to be closer before I can use it."

"You sure?" Steve asked, catching on to his friend's plan.

"I've been building it up for a while now. It should be more than enough."

Peter raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking-"

"GET 'EM!"

At the cloaked girl's cry, her comrades all charged at Steve and his friends, their footfalls actually shaking the ground slightly as they got closer and closer. A few bullets were fired at some point, but they either bounced off of Cap's shield or were deflected by Anakin's laser sword. But while most of the team was acting hard as nails, Spider-Man was getting worried with how quickly their enemies were encroaching upon them.

"Guys?"

"Steady," Steve urged, waiting for the right moment, which came when their enemies were about a dozen feet away. "Now!"

"Cover your ears," T'Challa shouted before slamming his palm down on his wrist.

WUBWUBWUBWUBWUBWUBWUBWUB

All the energy he had gathered within the vibranium that made up his suit was released in that instant, sending out rippling waves of sound that blasted the warriors of Vale away. Each of them clutched the sides of their head in agony, and one by one collapsed to the ground and passed out. Captain America, Anakin, and Spider-Man were spared such a fate as they managed to protect their ears just before it happened; Spidey used his webbing to close off his ear canals, while Anakin used the Force to simply tune out the noise.

And as for Steve? Well, years of fighting on the front lines and dodging bullets, grenades and mortar shells had granted him eardrums of steel, so apart from some minor aching, he was pretty much unaffected.

After a full minute, Panther pressed the button on his wrist again and turned off the wubs, allowing his colleagues a chance to admire his handiwork.

Spider-Man let out an appreciative whistle as he pulled the globs of webbing off the sides of his head. "Nice. I'm usually more of a jazz guy, but I got a soft spot for the bass."

"It won't last long," T'Challa confessed, observing as their foes struggled to get back up. "We need another plan."

"I have one," Anakin chimed in. He turned toward Spider-Man and held out a small circular device to the young hero, who gingerly took it.

"What's this?"

"Coordinates to my fleet. I parked my transport not far from where we initially met in the forest. Get to it and then use this to find your way to my master. His name is Obi-Wan. He'll be able to mount a rescue."

"Wait, rescue?"

"I can sense an army approaching," the Jedi revealed. "We have three minutes at best before they overwhelm us; the time to act is now."

"B-but, why me?" Peter fretted, not liking where this situation was going.

He then felt a strong hand on his shoulder and turned to see Cap's sympathetic expression.

"Because you have the best shot," he explained to the boy. "You're quick, nimble and can sense danger a mile away. If anyone's gonna get out of this city in one piece, it's you."

"Are you sure?"

"I believe in you; we all do."

With those words, Peter forced his mind and body to get back into gear and placed the device Anakin gave him into his pocket. "Okay, but the forest is still a long ways away."

Cap lifted his gaze to focus on something behind Peter and smiled. "He can help speed things along."

"Who?"

BOOM

"Me," rumbled a deep voice from behind the web-head that sent shivers down his spine.

Quickly turning around, he craned his neck to look into the smirking face of the single largest and greenest man he'd ever seen.

Steve couldn't help but find Peter's reaction amusing.

"Jumpin' Jameson! Who are you?!"

"I'm Banner's better half," the hulking man answered.

"Bruce?" Peter asked before giving him a once over. "What kind of juice did you drink?"

Steve chose this moment to interject. "Hulk, Spider-Man needs a lift outta here while the rest of us hold the line."

Remembering that he still had a task to complete, Peter shook his head clear of the awe Hulk's presence instilled. "Right, what did you guys have in mind?"

Steve and Hulk shared a look that filled Peter with dread, almost enough to make him regret even asking. When they turned back to the smaller hero, a shiver went through him.

"Ever heard of the "fastball special", kid?" Hulk asked him.

"Um, no?"

He let out a yelp when Hulk suddenly took hold of him within his giant hand and then reared the poor teenager back like he was about to pitch him like a football, and only then did Peter get the message.

"Whoah, hey! Do you know what you're doing?"

Hulk raised an eyebrow at him before turning away and pointing his finger toward the northern sky. "Wind: 3 knots, heading 274. Range: several hundred meters. Projectile mass: 66 kilograms.

Then he clenched his fist and turned back to Peter with a smirk.

"Trust me."

Then he threw Spider-Man over the buildings and into the distance, the poor kid's cries fading the further he got away until the other four heroes could no longer see or hear him.

"Good luck, son," Cap whispered.

"Contact!"

From all corners of the area, enemy soldiers poured in like rivers of white and silver, some of them moving to check on the downed teenagers, while the rest barreled toward the Avengers plus one. Cap nodded to Anakin and both brandished their respective weapons, only for a strange black glow to envelope said tools and yank them out of their owners' hands.

The shield and lightsaber ended up in the hands of a red-headed girl in golden armor. Hulk made ready to start smashing again, but then a large black emblem appeared beneath his feet and two more appeared on his wrists, forcing him to his knees and immobilizing him. Anakin recognized the glyphs and turned to their source, seeing the white-clad girl he fought earlier extending her sword in their direction.

He began to prepare a Force push to hopefully knock her off balance, but then he felt the edge of a sword tap him on the throat, its owner, a blonde boy wearing white armor, scowling at him.

"Don't," he warned the Jedi, who remained still.

A boy wielding twin green daggers pulled a similar maneuver on Black Panther, while a girl carrying a large hammer approached the downed Hulk, daring him to try anything.

Just then, the soldiers moved out of the way to allow General Ironwood (who looked a little banged up from his encounter with jolly green) to approach the captain, who met his glare even as Ironwood pointed his revolver at him.

"Your move," the military commander taunted.

For a moment, nothing happened as the two veterans stared each other down, each of the foremost soldiers all aiming their rifles at the intruders, ready and willing to pull the trigger. Same story for the teenagers and their extravagant weapons.

 _Damn, not this quick._

But finally, Cap accepted the harsh truth of the situation and closed his eyes.

 _No plan survives first contact with the enemy._

"Stand down."

A brief pause, and then T'Challa retracted his claws, followed by Anakin lowering his arms. Even Hulk begrudgingly obeyed, grumbling even as hammer-girl stuck her tongue out at him.

Within seconds, a pair of soldiers had restrained Steve and cuffed him, the same thing happening to his colleagues, with the exception of Hulk; the ice-themed girl stood before him, and with a wave of her hand upped the ante on the restraints she'd already placed on him.

But before Cap could be led away, Ironwood noticed something. "Where's the other one?"

Steve didn't even look to meet him in the eye. "That's classified."

"Ugh, he does that," the silver-eyed girl scoffed.

Ironwood wasn't pleased with that. "Listen, you're going to tell me everything I-"

But then he stopped and raised two fingers to his right ear.

"What is it?" A small pause and then a small grin slowly came to his face. "I see. Very well, bring him in when you're done, alive. Out."

He then leaned in closer to his captive. "My associate will apprehend your friend shortly. Maybe he will be more willing to talk than the rest of you. Men, get them out of here and hold them for questioning."

As he and the rest of his team were being led toward one of their aerial transports, Steve flicked his gaze toward the horizon for a brief moment, concern filling him at the prospect of Peter facing whoever was coming after him alone.

He was a hero, yes, but still just a boy.

 _Be careful, Spider-Man._

(X)

 **Elsewhere…**

"OhmanohmanohmanohmanPOLE!"

Throwing both his hands out, Spider-Man grabbed hold of a flagpole sticking out from the base of a window on a rapidly approaching building. The shift in momentum caused him to spin around it once, twice, three times before he let go and dropped onto the sidewalk in a traditional "superhero pose".

"Whoo, nailed it," he breathed out.

Straightening himself up, he found himself on another street, one just as empty and eerily quiet as all the others he'd seen. A little ways down the sidewalk he also spotted a building whose entire front half had collapsed, some of the rubble strewn about the walkway ahead.

He looked down and opened his hand to reveal the device Anakin gave to him, and then looked over his shoulder in the direction Hulk had tossed him from, determination filling his heart.

 _I won't let you guys down._

 _RIIIIIIIIIING_

A bolt of pain shot through his skull, and then…

KAW-KAW

The ebony-feathered bird had perched itself on a lamppost several feet behind Peter and was now looking down and him, its head and wing twitching.

"Ugh, you again," the teen exasperated as he massaged his aching noggin. "Just buzz off already; I'm busy."

He turned and began to walk away, managing to take about three steps…

SHUNK

Before a gigantic piece of metal lodged itself into the ground in front of him, stopping him cold. A second glance revealed it to be a massive sword with gears attached to the hilt.

"Hey," came a gruff voice from behind him.

Looking back to the lamppost, Spider-Man saw not the annoying avian that had hounded him all night sitting upon it, but a man with spiky, graying black hair and wearing a gray dress shirt, black pants, and matching shoes.

"I said 'stay put'."

Peter's lenses widened as he connected the dots. "Really?"

"Yeah."

The man then pushed himself off from his seat and descended to the ground, his tattered red cloak fluttering as he fell. Peter had to resist the urge to take a step back lest he make himself appear frightened, but the fact that this guy had set off his spider-sense so severely had him worse than on edge. He watched as the guy absent-mindedly scratched his beard while his cloak fluttered in the breeze.

"So, you and your friends sure caused a ruckus tonight, huh kid?"

 _Stay cool, Parker. Let's see what his deal is first._

Shrugging, Peter gave his rebuttal. "Well, for all intents and purposes, we were just trying to leave."

"After breakin' into the CCT," the crow-man reminded him.

"You mean the tower? The doors were unlocked, dude."

"And?"

"Aaand we didn't hurt the guards?"

"Hmm, you're right," the man shrugged before he tucked his hands into his pockets and slouched over. "Which is why I'm givin' you another chance to surrender. We both know what'll happen if this drags on for too long, and at that point, we'll all lose."

 _What's he talking about?_ Pete wondered as the guy went on.

"So please, whatever you're tryin' to do, just drop it, alright? My boss is a lot more lenient than the General, but only if you're willin' to cooperate. Your choice."

This was the last thing Peter needed right now: a moral fork in the road: push forward or give up. He tightened his grip on the device as he weighed the positives and negatives each path entailed, the crow-man watching silently from a distance, waiting for his response.

"I…can't."

"Why not?"

"Because," Peter paused to put his device into his pocket. "I have a responsibility to my team and to my home, and I _will_ honor it. No offense."

"None taken."

Then Peter blinked, and the shapeshifter was gone.

"Huh?"

 _RIIIIIING_

His spider-sense urged him to turn around, and he did just in time to see the crow-man grab hold of his massive sword, pull it from the ground with one arm and then immediately try to bring it down atop Spider-Man's head. He had no time to think, only react, so he brought his hands together and latched onto the blade's blunt side, stopping it inches from his face

 _Holy crap, he's fast!_

And strong; the wall-crawler's arms felt like they were on fire, not helped by the bruises and minor burns he'd already received from the blonde boxer he fought earlier. At least now he could focus on something else other than his sore unmentionables, right? Regardless, he still had to find a way to get out of this bind, so he kicked the guy in the shin to try and throw him off balance. It worked, and when his foe stumbled, he flipped onto the blunt side of the blade and then launched himself high into the air before firing a volley of web bullets down at him.

Sadly, the crow-man saw them coming and promptly sliced them to bits by twirling his sword like a buzzsaw. Peter watched from his new perch (the flagpole from earlier) as the gears in his opponent's weapon turned before the bladed portion folded down to reveal a twin-barreled shotgun hidden within.

"Aw c'mon!"

Cartwheeling to the left to avoid the first shot, Peter then jumped off the side of the building and swung his way down to the crow-man's level, firing off a few shots of his own to distract him so he could get in close. Crow-man managed to fire one more shot before the teen landed right in front of him. He ducked and dodged a few swings of the giant blade before grabbing the barrels of its gun portion and holding it at bay while he unloaded his web cartridge into the gear mechanism, jamming it.

Now distracted by his weapon's inability to function properly, the shapeshifter failed to react in time to stop Spider-Man from jamming his sword into the ground and then flipping over him to deliver a dropkick to his back, knocking him away. This gave Spider-Man enough time to envelop the whole weapon in more webbing, rendering it irretrievable for the time being.

"Sorry to grind your gears pal," Peter went on even as his foe scowled at him from afar. "But that was getting annoying."

Crow-man responded first by raising his open hand before clenching it hard enough that his knuckles cracked.

"So are you."

He then dashed down the sidewalk with his fist drawn back, Spider-Man leaning to the side to avoid his jab before attempting to hit him with a spin kick. Crow-man dodged by quickly shifting into his avian form then back again and hit Peter square in his nose. He then hit the poor kid in the face with two more punches before delivering a vicious kick that sent Peter careening sideways and crashing through a window.

Peter rolled across the floor until his back hit against something hard, at which point he just rested there for a moment and groaned quietly.

 _Ever get the feeling you're in over your head, Pete?_

Reaching behind him, he found purchase on what felt like a countertop and pulled himself up to a semi-standing position. He looked over his shoulder and saw what could only be a cash register, and next to it sat several small boxes that read "Fire Dust: Handle with care." on their labels, one of which was knocked over, revealing its contents to be several small glowing orange crystals. Peter's fingertips gently glided over them, but flinched and yanked his hand away when he felt how intense their heat actually was.

 _RIIIIING_

He looked back to the front of the store and saw the black crow fly in through the shattered window. When he changed back into his human form, Spider-Man brought up his hand and hit the trigger on his web-shooters.

CLICK

Nothing happened.

"Oh no…"

He brought up the other hand and tried again.

CLICK

Same result.

"C'mon!"

He knew his web-shooters weren't completely empty yet, so why did they suddenly cease to function?

"Looks like your luck's run out, kid."

The crow-man was now right in front of Peter who, in his haste, threw a punch without really thinking about where he was aiming. It was quickly deflected, and then his opponent grabbed hold of his shoulder and proceeded to pummel his younger adversary with non-stop punches to his face. The third caused his damaged lens to finally shatter, which made all the blows after that slightly more painful.

At a point, though, the blows stopped, crow-man readying himself for one last strike that would finish the tired and wounded hero off. But in that brief lapse, Peter concocted a haphazard plan to get out of this.

He lifted up his shirt and pressed a button on his belt to activate his "spider-light", the blinding red rays throwing the crow-man off and forcing him to shut his eyes and look away. Spider-Man seized the opportunity to quickly remove one of his web shooters and attach it to his opponent's wrist before grabbing one of the larger fire dust crystals from the counter and jamming it into the device, ignoring the searing pain in his palm.

The intense heat melted through the web cartridge still loaded into it and broke the seal, spraying webbing all over the crow-man and enveloping him in it. Thankfully, Peter managed to leap over him and out of the way just in time, and couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of such a fierce opponent completely covered in white goo and struggling to break free.

"Adios birdbrain," he bid as he turned to leave, rubbing his swelling eye as he went about limping his way back toward the front of the store.

"I'm warnin' ya kid, this is your last chance," the crow-man suddenly threatened. "Give up."

Growling in frustration, Spider-Man spun around and glared at his defeated foe. He really needed to get out of here and find a way back to New York instead of having to deal with this guy any longer.

"Or what? What are you gonna do?"

"Not me," the shapeshifter grinned before pointing over the teen's shoulder. "Him."

Peter raised an eyebrow before he heard something move behind him. Spinning around, he noticed a man with silver hair and wearing glasses draw his cane back to strike the young hero. Why his spider-sense didn't warn him ahead of time, he didn't know, and even then his mind was already preoccupied with the situation at hand.

 _Okay, Pete, here are your options: A) quickly duck sideways, dodge the cane, then take him out with a spinning back kick, or B) take the cane in the face, then fall to the floor and pass out._

SMACK

 _Yep, should've gone with A._

THUD

(X)

Qrow watched his adversary hit the ground with an amused grin before looking up and into the calm eyes of his superior as he set his cane down and rested both his hands atop it.

"Finally came down from your tower, Oz?"

The headmaster shrugged. "I thought it would be nice to stretch my legs a little."

"Professor!"

Ozpin turned to see the members of Team RWBY all standing outside the shop, their fearless leader gasping when she saw her uncle in his current state.

"Uncle Qrow," she called out as she ran inside, paying the headmaster no real heed. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Mind getting me outta here?"

"Sure."

She retrieved her trusty scythe and began slowly cutting away at her uncle's bindings while Ozpin noticed another bullhead on approach. He turned toward Yang and Blake and directed them to take the fallen intruder to the transport when it landed.

As her teammates carried their captive away, Weiss watched on as the bullhead touched down and its doors opened. Out from the aircraft came Penny and her partner/guardian Ciel, along with a few Atlesian soldiers. The excitable android was quick to run up to the heiress and ask her about the whereabouts of her best friend, Weiss' partner.

"She's in there," she answered, gesturing toward the dust shop.

Penny beamed, gave a quick "thank you" and scampered off, leaving Weiss to watch her go with a smirk.

"Miss Schnee?" The heiress turned toward the voice and found Ciel standing next to her, hands behind her back, posture erect, and completely focused on the ivory-haired huntress. "Please forgive us for being late. Are you alright?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. Unlike the rest of her team, she had often worked alongside the young officer this past year on numerous occasions, usually as an assistant combat instructor for Ironwood's soldiers thanks to her familiarity with dust and her creative usage of it in all its forms. It didn't take long for her to notice that Ciel was a very regimented and by-the-book person who expected those around her to take care of themselves, which often made her come across as mildly aloof at first glance. But even so, the heiress felt it would be improper not to give an appropriate response to her question.

"Yes Ciel, I am fine, as are my teammates," she replied with a smirk. "Thank you for asking."

The corners of Ciel's mouth curled upward into a small, barely noticeable smile for the briefest of moments.

"That is…good news."

Her expression switched back to its usual stoic visage when she noticed Blake and Yang approach with the last of the intruders being dragged by his arms. She waved over a couple of soldiers who brought over a stretcher that they boy was then placed in. They made sure to strap him down to it before each grabbed one end of the portable bed and made their way back to the bullhead.

"Forgive me, but I must deliver the prisoner to the General," she apologized to Weiss, following it up with a slight bow. "Have a pleasant evening, Miss Schnee."

"You as well," Weiss replied, mimicking the officer's gesture.

Ciel made to leave but stopped when she remembered something. "Before I go, please tell Miss Rose to keep an eye on Penny for tonight."

"I will. No need to worry."

And with that, Ciel departed with her men, leaving Weiss to rejoin Blake and Yang as the blonde bombshell bragged about all the damage she inflicted to her opponent's "gonads".

Meanwhile, Penny was observing from the sidelines as Ruby finally managed to pull her uncle free of the pile of sticky goo. Now that he was no longer restrained, Qrow removed a metal bracelet from his wrist, handed it to his niece, and then began conversing with Ozpin, but that was when Penny's scroll started to ring. The sender was listed as "unknown", confusing her, so she retreated to another isle within the store to answer it privately.

Pushing the "answer" key, she was greeted with the image of a green and black bullseye.

"Hello, my name is JARVIS, and I have much to share with you."

 **A/N** :

I'M NOT DEAD!

Please forgive me for how long this took. My internship and the holidays kept me real busy these last couple of months, but it's finally here. Thank you for your patience.

Please leave a comment/review. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Next time: The Avengers have some explaining to do as something big gets closer and closer to the city. Stay tuned!


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